The successful strikes and surveillance operation of the drones increased Turkish position among the four to five countries in the world which have this technology, Turkish minister says
Turkish Science, Industry and Technology Minister Faruk Özlü said his country's domestically produced, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become a world brand.
Turkey's Bayraktar armed drones were used in Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria to fight DAESH terrorism.
The successful strikes and surveillance operation of the drones increased Turkish position among the four to five countries in the world which have this technology, the minister said.
“Our next target is to produce armed UAVs weighing between 3.5 and 4 tons equipped with advanced weapons and cameras,” he added.
Stating that Turkey has gained momentum in UAV design and production, the minister said the Medium-Altitude and Long-Endurance (MALE) drone ANKA would be controlled by satellite.
He said that Turkey is currently working on arming its mini MALE and developing tactic-type UAVs.
Özlü described the Turkish Science and Technology Research Council's (TÜBİTAK) projects related to the defense industry.
Recalling that the Turkish Stand-Off Missile (SOM) is in inventory now, the technology minister said, “This is a successful product.”
The SOM Cruise Missile is a next generation high-precision cruise missile which can be launched from land, sea and air platforms developed by TÜBİTAK's Defense Research and Development Institute (SAGE).
The missile is currently tested for 300 kilometer (160 nautical miles) range, he said, adding that SAGE is working to design the missiles for use in the internal carriage of the F-35 JSF.
