A new request for information about armed unmanned air systems (UAS) for the Turkish Air Force could draw responses from AUVSI exhibitors.
The document released on 4 May says Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) is considering high- and medium-altitude UAS for an “urgent” Turkish air force requirement.
Although the SSM does not identify how it defines high and medium altitudes, the request for an armed system limits the pool of potential vendors.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems supplies armed versions of the MQ-9A Reaper and MQ-1B Predator to the US Air Force, plus the MQ-1C Gray Eagle to the US Army.
Israel’s two major UAS suppliers – Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems – also have several medium-altitude options, but have never publicly delivered an armed version of the Heron- or Hermes-series aircraft.
Turkish Aerospace Industries also is developing the medium-altitude Anka UAS, but it has not been advertised as an armed system.
The SSM solicitation is released nearly three months after the US Department of State issued an updated policy that for the first time allows the export of armed UAS under limited circumstances.
The new export policy sets conditions on buyers of American-built armed UAS, including a requirement to only use weapons when “there is a lawful basis for use of force under international law”.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
