TAI Delivers Additional Strike UAV to Turkish Navy
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has delivered an additional Aksungur unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the Turkish Naval Forces.
The service uses the drones for signals intelligence, long-term surveillance and patrol operations, and aerial and maritime combat missions.
TAI delivered its first batch of the strike UAV to the country’s navy in October 2021. The most recent delivery brings the total of Aksungurs in service with the Turkish Naval Forces to seven.
Teslimatlarımızı sürdürüyoruz.
Son olarak #AKSUNGUR SİHA’dan 1 adet daha Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığımıza teslim ettik.🇹🇷✈️
SİHA'larımız Mavi Vatan'da göreve her daim hazır! Hayırlı olsun.
➡️ @TUSAS_TR #İstiklâlveİstikbâlimizİçin pic.twitter.com/qLZ7BsWRQe
— İsmail Demir (@profismaildemir) August 4, 2022
TAI Aksungur Strike Drone
The TAI Aksungur strike drone is 12.5 meters (41 feet) long and 3.1 meters (10 feet) high. Its angled wingspan measures 24 meters (79 feet).
The aircraft features high-end camera and sensor systems for covert unmanned monitoring operations.
The drone is powered by a two-forward-mounted PD-170 dual turbocharged diesel engine and a three-bladed propeller and can reach an altitude of 40,000 feet (12 kilometers).
The UAV comes in three variants: surveillance and reconnaissance, maritime patrol, and ground attack models.
Weapons options for the UAV include laser-guided Mk-81 and Mk-82s, L-UMTAS and guided missiles, Cirit missiles, the HGK-3 precision guidance kit, the KGK 82 wing assisted guidance kit, and a small diameter bomb.