Turkey's ALKA Laser Weapon Slashes Air Defense Costs by Replacing Missiles with Electricity

ROKETSAN's ALKA is a directed-energy weapon system developed for the Turkish Armed Forces, entering serial production in 2023 after its first public appearance in 2019. The system targets mini and micro drones by operating in two layers: an electromagnetic jamming stage that cuts the drone-operator link, and a focused laser stage that physically destroys targets that survive jamming. Because ALKA consumes electricity rather than physical ammunition, the cost per engagement is reduced to that of the energy used, neutralizing the attacker's advantage of deploying large numbers of cheap drones against expensive missiles. The system's power output has grown to over 10 kW — roughly four times its initial capacity — extending effective range while keeping per-shot costs low, unlike conventional missiles that grow costlier as scale increases. Key engineering challenges remain, including keeping the laser beam locked on a fast-moving target and reduced effectiveness in rain, fog, or dust, which limits the technology's applicability in all conditions.