The striking pace of innovation among Turkish unmanned air vehicle (UAV) manufacturers continues to impress, as the nation rapidly advances its locally developed capabilities.
Baykar Technologies has claimed a world-first after completing a successful spin-recovery test involving a Bayraktar TB2, with the manoeuvre having drawn on algorithms developed using artificial intelligence.
The armed TB2 also recently performed a test launch of the Kemankes 1 lightweight cruise missile, while the company’s TB3 vehicle was used to deploy a supersonic missile for the first time.
Baykar’s swift technological advances – and its strong sales performance with the TB2 especially – earlier this year attracted Italy’s Leonardo to enter into a joint venture agreement with the company.
The pair are to combine their respective expertise in air vehicles, sensors and advanced electronics, starting with the 6t-class Akinci platform.
Turkish Aerospace (TAI), meanwhile, has demonstrated the potential use of its medium-altitude, long-endurance Aksungur as a precision-strike platform also capable of deploying smaller UAVs.
After conducting test drops of laser-guided bombs from an altitude of 30,000ft in mid-March, the unmanned combat air vehicle-style platform recently released a Super Simsek UAV from beneath its wing. The smaller vehicle could be used to strike ground targets or conduct support tasks such as electronic warfare.
The potential future operational use of such a combination could augment the capabilities of Turkish-operated fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-16 and TAI’s in-development Kaan – a type which has drawn fresh interest from Indonesia.
Another nation which is powering ahead with the development of indigenous technology is South Korea, with Korea Aerospace Industries’ KF-21 fighter recently expanding its air-to-air refuelling test campaign ahead of service entry in late 2026.
And India’s years-long drive towards increased domestic capability recently saw a debut release of the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Gaurav glide bomb from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI.
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