Turkish UAVs more powerful with new ammunition

By Goksel Yildirim

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's defense industry has successfully tested new domestically produced ammunition with its medium-altitude armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The first test shot with the KGK-SIHA-82 payload was conducted on April 23 with the Aksungur armed UAV produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to a range of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). The successful test achieved a target strike accuracy of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet).

TUBITAK's Defense Industry Research and Development Institute (SAGE) developed the KGK-SIHA-82 payload.

SAGE carries out the design, development, production and testing activities of guided and unguided ammunition systems, critical subsystems and strategic system platforms to meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and international defense industry organizations.

The Aksungur armed UAV was recently tested with a wing-assisted guidance kit (KGK) developed TUBITAK SAGE. The KGK converts unguided 1,000-pound MK83 and 500-pound MK82 general purpose bombs into long-range air-to-ground intelligent weapons.

The KGK has a range of 110 kilometers (68.3 miles) thanks to its wings.

Certification of the KGK for F4 and F16 aircraft was completed by ground tests and the ammunition, which SAGE manufactured, entered the Turkish Air Force's inventory.