New Turkish UAV Unveiled

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A new Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been unveiled. Baykar has unveiled a drone that can hover, take off and land vertically (VTOL). It does not need a landing track and can take off from several different places, including naval or mobile platforms. 

Flight tests are due to be completed soon, and mass production and delivery phases are expected to start in 2022.

The UAV takes off using its four electric engines, then flies using its internal combustion engine, Burak Özbek, an air vehicle design engineer at Baykar, told the Anadolu Agency (AA). Thanks to its hybrid engine system, the UAV can fly up to 12 hours, the engineer said, adding that its engine can also charge the vehicle’s battery.

It has a take-off weight is 50 kilograms (110 pounds) and can carry 5 kilograms of useful loads, like thermal cameras, laser designators, or distance meters.

With a wingspan of 5 meters (16 feet), the UAV is capable of taking off from a 20-meter by 20-meter (66-foot by 66-foot) area.

“Its operational altitude is 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) but it can fly up to 15,000 feet,” Özbek said, adding its flying speed is around 40-50 knots.

The UAV is an observer drone and Baykar works with domestic and foreign partners on the systems installed in it.

The UAV is equipped with an engine produced by Turkish engine maker Erin Motors. This engine has an electronic fuel injection system, making it much more reliable, he said, adding that there are only a few similar UAVs in the world.

He said its new versions have a higher capacity for carrying ammo.

Stressing that the avionics, electronic systems, and software in this UAV have already been proven in the Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı UAVs, he explained that Baykar uses the same systems for all of its vehicles, dailysabah.com reports.