Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) recently announced the delivery of two AKSUNGUR Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the Turkish Armed Forces, further strengthening their unmanned fleet.
With these latest deliveries, TUSAŞ has now produced and delivered a total of ten AKSUNGUR UAVs, showcasing their expertise in the field of unmanned aerial systems.
The AKSUNGUR UAV, designed using domestic capabilities, distinguishes itself in the Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) market due to its impressive payload capacity. The versatile platform is capable of carrying out various missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, search and rescue, signal intelligence, combat operations, and high-altitude tasks. It can be equipped with a range of payloads, including electro-optical and wide-area surveillance cameras, synthetic aperture radar, and communication intelligence sensors. Furthermore, it can operate over long distances under the control of the TÜRKSAT satellite.
There have been discussions about utilizing the AKSUNGUR UAV in an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) configuration. Plans are underway to incorporate a sonobuoy pod and a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) into the UAV’s payload configuration, enabling it to fulfill submarine warfare missions.
The AKSUNGUR UAV, known for its exceptional payload capacity, successfully completed its maiden flight on March 20, 2019, marking a significant milestone in TUSAŞ’s serial production.
Turkish Aerospace Industries, located in Ankara, serves as a hub for technology in the design, development, manufacturing, integration, modernization, and after-sales support of aerospace systems in Turkey. Their production plant covers an extensive area of 4 million square meters, with an industrial facility of 640,000 square meters housing over 13,000 skilled workers. The company boasts a state-of-the-art aircraft facility equipped with cutting-edge machinery and equipment, enabling them to undertake a wide range of manufacturing capabilities, from parts production to aircraft assembly, flight testing, and delivery.
