This year, nearly a thousand companies from more than half a hundred countries participated in the international defense fair SAHA EXPO 2022, which was held at the Istanbul Expo Center on October 25-28. Three-quarters of the presented companies are Turkish, and their stands make it clear that the country has great hopes for unmanned technologies, actively developing and putting them into production. Robops “walked” through the exhibition halls, you can climb on an unmanned boat, evaluate the dimensions and characteristics of an unmanned rotorcraft, touch the Bayraktar TB2 and see a small vertical take-off and landing UAV of the Baykar company.

BAYKAR IS THE LEADER IN THE UAV MARKET

The most famous Turkish company in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles is Baykar, which organizes SAHA EXPO 2022 together with the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Industry and Turkish Defense Industry Presidency. Baykar had two stands at the fair. Near one of them was the stand of the Ukrainian companies of the Ukraviaprom association, in particular, the companies Motor Sich JSC, FED JSC, Ivchenko-Progress SE and Electron and Radionics. The place was not chosen by chance – Baykar equips its drones with them, collaborating with Ukrainian engine manufacturers.

At the second stand, Baykar exhibited the world-famous combat UAVs Bayraktar TB2, Akıncı and vertical take-off unmanned aerial vehicle. Second, it is a mini-tactical UAV class aircraft capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions. This small drone is powered by an electric motor, has a wingspan of 5 meters and can stay in the air for 12 hours. The maximum flight altitude is 4.6 km, the maximum speed is 146 km/h.

This year, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace visited the SAHA EXPO 2022 exhibition. After visiting Baykar’s stand, the Turkish media began to express that London was interested in acquiring flag bearers who had proven their effectiveness under hostile conditions in Ukraine.

At the same time, the Polish army received the first Bayraktar complex, consisting of six unmanned aerial vehicles. As noted in Warsaw, the UAVs were ordered even before Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Ukraine’s successful use of these UAVs demonstrates their effectiveness and the need to have them in its army.

UAV manufacturers do not stand in the way of development – soon they can help Ukraine in the fight against Iranian drones. The first tests of Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı UAVs, which are armed with air-to-air missiles, are being carried out to destroy not only unmanned aerial vehicles but also enemy aircraft. Construction of a factory for the production of drones in Ukraine is planned to be completed in two years.

Next year, the Red Apple unmanned fighter aircraft will make its maiden flight. As Baykar believes, Kızılelma unmanned fighter aircraft and Bayraktar TB3 attack aircraft, which will be deployed on ships, will revolutionize modern warfare.

TITRA UAV HELICOPTER AND UAV

Titra Technology introduced the long-range warhead Deli drone for the first time at SAHA EXPO 2022 in Istanbul. The time to deploy the system and be ready to launch manually or from a catapult is 15 minutes. Cruising speed 80 km/h, maximum – 180 km/h. The maximum flight altitude is 3,500 meters, the operational altitude is 150-500 meters. The crazy UAV can stay in the air for 75 minutes, can travel up to 85 kilometers and can carry around 3.1 kg of warheads. This UAV, whose tests are about to be completed, is planned to be put into service in the Turkish Armed Forces by the end of this year.

Titra Teknoloji has another unmanned development – ​​the Alpine helicopter. It can be used in both military and civilian logistics operations. Alpin has the ability to fly in regions with different climatic conditions, it can take off and land vertically, so it does not need a runway. In difficult geographical conditions, cargo can be dropped without landing with the help of a crane or hook. It can also monitor using a built-in camera. The Alpin UAV helicopter runs on gasoline, rises to an altitude of 6.4 km and can stay in the air for up to 9 hours.

HAVELSAN DIGITAL ARMY

Another prominent representative of Turkish “defense”, Havelsan company, introduced its digital units at the fair: BAHA unmanned aerial vehicle, Barkan and Kapgan unmanned land vehicles, Sancar unmanned warship. It is the first Turkish company to develop the UAV family that can be operated from a single center for land, air and sea operations.

Designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and other missions, the BAHA UAV is currently undergoing flight tests. The maximum take-off weight is 30 kg, the payload is 5 kg. There are two versions, electronic and fuel powered. Accordingly, the time to stay in the air is 2 and 6 hours. Takeoff and landing vertical, range 80 km.

One of the important features of this UAV is that it can fly in low temperatures and rainy conditions. Also, this drone can move with others of the same kind, fly in a flock.

Currently serving in the Turkish army, the Barkan unmanned ground vehicle (UAV) is designed to carry or tow cargo, provide protection and reconnaissance. BNTZ has remote control, can independently plan the movement route, avoid obstacles, carry out autonomous patrols, detect moving objects. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it can monitor the movement direction of both personnel and ground drones. This is an all-electric system with a duration of 8 hours. Barkan reaches a speed of 12 km / h. and armed with a 7.62mm machine gun. It also has a robotic arm for bomb disposal, it can work both day and night.

Another representative of Havelsan’s “digital army”, the combat drone Sancar, designed and built with Yonca-Onuk Shipyard, was launched at the beginning of June this year. This unmanned boat is designed for the protection of naval bases and ports, rescue operations, reconnaissance, surveillance, patrol, surface warfare, mine countermeasures. The unmanned Sancar is 12.73 meters long and 3.3 meters wide and can reach a speed of 40 knots (74 km/h). His model was presented at the exhibition.

Havelsan also exhibited for the first time Turkey’s first 30×113 mm caliber heavy weapon system, the BNTZ Kapgan, with an effective range of 2 km against land and air targets. With a weight of approximately 2 tons, it has high maneuverability and high operational capability in all weather conditions, terrain and visibility. Kapgan can also carry cargo, conduct autonomous patrols, plan and analyze the movement route, return to base in case of loss of communication, has protection against EW.

ASELSAN UAV FAMILY

Aselsan, another flagship of the Turkish defense industry, created the drone family. This family includes Saka-1 and Saka-2 micro-UAVs, Arı-1T mini helicopter UAV, Mir UAV boat and Karagöz surveillance balloons.

Among the drones, especially the unmanned Mir boat and Aslan BNTZ were exhibited at SAHA EXPO.

Visitors had the opportunity to board the Mir boat, which participated in the maneuvers of unmanned sea vehicles in June of this year.

The boat is equipped with the latest navigation and weapon systems, an electro-optical surveillance system (developed by Aselsan), and will soon be equipped with an anti-unmanned aerial vehicle system.

The maximum speed of the unmanned Mir boat is 74 km/h, its range is over 600 nautical miles, and it can perform missions for 4 days without refueling.

The Aslan unmanned ground vehicle developed by Aselsan resembles and competes with Havelsan’s Barkan unmanned aerial vehicle in function. The characteristic of Aslan is that he can climb stairs with a 60% incline, pass through wide ditches and descend steep slopes. 3D cartography has the ability to overcome obstacles and defeat targets with the help of special sensors and radars. Its weight is about 700 kg, its maximum travel speed is 10 km/h. It works on an electric motor, the operating reserve on one charge, depending on the task, is more than 4 hours.

ROBOT DOGS SARBOT AND VISION 60

Robots roaming around the exhibition pavilions attracted special attention from visitors.

Sarbot, a robotic weapon system or “armed robot” developed by Sarsılmaz Turkish company, can operate in any environment and in all weather conditions. The Sarbot robot dog can carry weapons of various shapes, sizes and weights up to 12 kg (with plans to increase this figure to 20 kg in the coming years). The current radius of damage from small arms is 1 km. The charge reserve is sufficient for more than one hour of continuous operation. The price of such an armed robot dog starts at 250 thousand US dollars. They can be used not only in combat to defeat the enemy, but also in natural disasters (unarmed option, for search) and the protection of special objects.

Serial production of Sarbot robots, which resemble dogs in shape, behavior and movement, will begin in 2023 and it is planned that the first examples will enter service with the Turkish Armed Forces.

Another robot dog presented at the fair – Ghost Robotics Vision 60 by Volt Technology, is considered one of the most advanced robot dogs in the world. Its carrying capacity is 12 kilograms, its speed of movement is 0.9 m/s. This robot dog can run at 1.2 m/s. It works for 2 hours 45 minutes without charge, 22 hours in standby mode and is fully charged in 2 hours. The selling price of this robot also starts at a quarter of a million dollars.

Volt Teknoloji company draws attention to the fact that the robot dog can take the place of a soldier in war and its configuration (cameras, detectors, weapons, etc.) can be selected according to the task and needs. And the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 can lie on the floor, roll over and stand up again.

These are far from all the drone curiosities developed in Turkey by both defense giants and smaller companies working in the military-technical field. The future, both in civilian life and in the military, is based on unmanned technologies and robots. And it’s not as far off as it seemed a few years ago.

Olga Budnyk, Istanbul-Ankara.

Author’s photo and video