The Turkish government will assist the country’s maiden unmanned helicopter project, the Alpin, its manufacturer Titra reported.
Ankara has put the project on its “regional priority investment list,” ensuring subsidies and incentives, the Ankara-based firm added.
The government has promised to buy the dual-use platform following field trials, and could export it to friendly countries once it is battle-proven, Defense News quoted a procurement official as saying.
Features
The 340-kilogram (750 pounds) aircraft is 7 meters (23 feet) long, 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide, and 2.35 meters (7.70 feet) in height.
Its rotor has a diameter of 6.28 meters (20.6 feet) and a maximum payload capacity of 200 kilograms (441 pounds), including fuel.
The Alpine is powered by a Rotax 914 UL engine, generating an output of 115 horsepower.
Multiple Payloads
The rotorcraft can cruise at a maximum speed of 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour with a range of up to 840 kilometers (522 miles) and 5,000 meters (16,404 feet) altitude. It can operate for seven hours at a stretch and two hours fully loaded.
The Alpine can carry multiple payloads, including “hyper-spectral, synthetic aperture radar and electro-optical/infrared cameras.”
It can transmit real-time information to operators, including in remote areas, through a wideband satellite communication channel.