DAEŞ'e ait 5 hedef imha edildi https://t.co/zWyLNalIvr pic.twitter.com/Qg7MaqJLUx
— ANADOLU AJANSI (@anadoluajansi) September 7, 2016
The Turkish-engineered "Bayraktar" drones guided Turkish warplanes to destroy five targets of Daesh terrorists in northern Syria in Operation Euphrates Shield on Wednesday.
The five targets, including one armed vehicle and two buildings reportedly used by Daesh as military quarters, were destroyed by the Turkish warplanes between 2.08 p.m. and 2:33 p.m. local time, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.
Selçuk Bayraktar, the chief technical officer of Baykar Makine, the manufacturer of the machine, shared a message with the photo of the exact moments the domestic drones recorded while the targets were hit on his official Twitter account.
The full name of the drone is the "Bayraktar TB2" and is used in operations against terrorist groups in the region.
The domestic drone has been used as a surveillance drone by the military since 2014. The project is part of Turkey's efforts to satisfy its military needs through domestically produced weapons.
The Bayraktar TB2 had proved its accuracy during shooting tests made with integrated national missiles in April. It is the premiere achievements of the Turkish defense industry. They are also force multipliers regarding the fight with terrorism, border protection and national defense power.
The Bayraktar TB2 project has a record-breaking local share with a 93 percent participation rate in the defense industry. It is the first system that completed test approval procedures designated by the military and the Defense Industry.
Due to the development of several critical and national technology main and subsystems within the scope of the 100 percent nationally and originally designed project, Bayraktar TB2 UAV platform and ground systems have no export limitations.
Critical technologies, such as pitot-static, servo control, power inertial measuring systems that cannot be supplied from abroad or jeopardize the drone's use due to poor maintenance, were developed within the framework of the project. In addition, national technologies, such as three redundant flight control computers and assignment computers that are inconvenient to use due to safety reasons even though supplied from abroad, were developed in the country and used in Bayraktar TB2 UAV's system.
Bayraktar TB2's armament was completed after a 1.5-year operation. Baykar and Roketsan kick started the project by taking the initiative without any official support - a first in Turkish aviation history.
The national version of the rocket launcher unit previously supplied from abroad was originally developed, designed and manufactured for the Armed Bayraktar TB2.
Aside from the national rocket launcher system, a national intelligence system was also added to the aerial vehicle. Baykar's research and development unit successfully developed the first signal intelligence device in Turkey with a fully domestic software and hardware system. The BSI-101 Signal Intelligence Device can detect hostile radar and radio locations and destroy targets. In addition, terrorist radio transmissions can be listened to via live stream, and intelligence support can be provided in the fight against terrorism by detecting the enemy's location. Bayraktar reached an altitude of 27,030 feet during a fully loaded flight test on June 14, 2014. It flew for 24 hours, 34 minutes and 4,040 kilometers during a fully loaded flight test on Aug. 5-6, reaching an altitude of 18,000 feet. It holds the record in Turkish Aviation history for flight time and altitude for national aerial vehicles.
After the tests, Undersecretary for Defense Industries Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir shared the images on his Twitter account saying: "We cannot be proud enough, our all-national UAV hit the bull's-eye with tears in our eyes. From where to where." Along with these tests for the armed drone, the "qualification" stage is thereby completed. Furthermore, over the next months, Bayraktar drones are planned for use by the Turkish Armed Forces after the completion of all required tests.
In ongoing tests, the drones are expected to be able to carry ammunition. Each of round of ammunition, the MAM-L and MAM-C, developed by Roketsan for the drone platforms, weighs 22.5 kilograms. The guided ammo with the warhead, weighing 10 kilograms, can hit a target from 8 kilometers away. Now, with the advancements made in Bayraktar drones, they are expected to be used as an armed platform in the concerned region.
