Turkish navy receives new locally developed armed UAV

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - A new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system with medium altitude and long endurance was delivered to the Turkish navy after a successful test phase, an official said on Wednesday.

The armed UAV, named Aksungur, was designed by Turkish Aerospace Inc. (TAI) indigenously and it has a payload capacity of 750 kilograms and 50-hour flight time, Ismail Demir, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries, tweeted.

According to TAI, the UAV can perform day and night intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike missions.

The aircraft is powered by two PD-170 twin-turbocharged diesel engines enabling long-endurance operations up to 40,000 feet.