IDEF 2025: PARS Izci – Anti-Drone Vehicle from Turkey
It is hard to overestimate the importance of the drones in the modern battlefield. However, there seems to be a considerable delay in creating a response to this threat: often, the counter-measures are hasty and improvised. That is why when I saw a purpose built anti-drone vehicle at IDEF expo in Istanbul it caught my attention.
PARS Izci is produced by FNSS Defense Systems, one of the most prominent armored vehicle manufacturers in Turkey. Recently we highlighted Kaplan FSRV, the light tank this company that was presented at IDEF 2025 for the first time.
Unlike Kaplan, PARS Izci is not a new platform, it has been around since 2005 in two primary variants: 6×6 and 8×8. Over the years different version of it were procured by armed forces of Libya, Oman, Malaysia. It is also used by the Turkish military.
Pars Izci is the scout variant of the platform. The version showcased at IDEF 2025 was designed specifically as anti-drone vehicles and includes two different systems to disable drones.
The first one is called İHTAR and concentrates on detection “soft-kill” capabilities with directional jammers. It can detect and track multiple UAVs, operates in any weather condition and jam frequences in multiple directions at the same time.
The second one is kinetic and using Şahin system with 40mm grenade launcher that utilises special airburst munitions, Overt Defense covered this system in great detail in 2022.
The anti-drone systems are using AI software for the fire control and targeting functions in order to minimise reaction time and reduce operator intervention. AI is also integrated in the vehicle and allows the crew to quickly diagnose potential issues with its main systems.
Overall, I think we will see more purpose built anti-drone vehicles in the future, most likely they will include more kinetic weapons to deal with fiber optic and AI controlled drones and use directed energy weapons.