Turkey is Exporting its Armed UAV for the First Time

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Turkish unmanned aircraft producer Baykar Makina will supply six armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to Qatar’s armed forces. Under the agreement, six Bayraktar TB2 armed UAV Platforms, three ground control station systems and equipment, and a UAV training simulator will be delivered within a year.

Baykar will also set up a UAV operation center and network-based data tracing and archiving software for Qatar’s Armed Forces. The company will train Qatar armed forces personnel and provide logistical and technical support, as reported by aa.com.tr.

The TB2 armed UAVs, which will be exported for the first time, have been used by the Turkish Armed Forces and Turkey’s Security Directorate since 2015. The UAV model was developed for tactical reconnaissance and surveillance missions and it can also carry ammo, do assaults, and has laser target acquisition. With its sensors, it can operate at both day and night.

The aircraft is a medium altitude and long-range (MALE) tactical UAV system. The UAV has a length of 6.5m, wing span of 12m and a maximum take-off weight of 630kg.

The UAV is equipped with a triple redundant avionics system. An onboard avionics suite encompasses units, including microcontroller, engine control, servo motor power control, engine signal processing and I/O and GPS receiver units, according to army-technology.com.

It also features a Pitot static sensor, laser altimeter and alpha beta sensor modules, as well as speed, temperature and fuel level sensors.

The UAV can carry a maximum payload of more than 55kg. The standard payload configuration includes an electro-optical (EO) camera module, an infrared (IR) camera module, a laser designator, a laser range finder (LRF) and a laser pointer.

The tactical UAV has a range of more than 150km and can fly at a maximum altitude of 22,500ft. It has a maximum speed of 70kt and endurance of more than 20 hours.