📩 26/09/2023 10:08
The SONGAR drone system, which is successfully used in the field by security forces and developed day by day, has many versions, including armed and grenade launcher versions, as well as specially developed ammunition such as missiles and Togan. SONGAR, which was announced as the "world's first operational armed drone system" by many foreign publications from countries such as the USA, Israel, China and England, is now equipped with an 81 mm triple mortar and a 60 mm mortar within the scope of a joint project with Machinery and Chemical Industry (MKE). ammunition will be integrated. Trial firings will start soon. ASISGUARD General Manager Mustafa Barış Düzgün gave information about the new projects planned to be integrated into SONGAR.
5 years of development story…
Explaining the development process of SONGAR, Düzgün said, “The SONGAR armed drone system, which entered the inventory in Turkey in 2019, is used in two units each in the inventory of the Land Forces Command, Gendarmerie General Command, Special Forces Command and Special Operations Directorate. Then, its continuous development continued with the feedback from our security forces. First, we integrated the 5.56 mm MKE gun. We saw that the more payload you integrate into a platform, the more useful it is, so we worked with TÜBİTAK SAGE and added TOGAN, an 81 mm mortar. Then we added a 40mm grenade launcher. As the demands continued, we added missiles and integrated smoke and tear gas ammunition. Thus, we made it usable at social events. About 2 years later, we sold multiple units to a country in Pacific, Asia and Africa. They only wanted to buy an armed drone, but since they also wanted good vision, we integrated cameras with night vision capabilities. Plus, we added daytime cameras with high zoom capabilities. "We installed a laser distance meter," he said.
Localization rate of 83,42 percent…
Stating that they export to 4 countries, Düzgün said, “We gradually localized the products that did not belong to us at the beginning. We received the "Domestic Goods Certificate" with a localization rate of 83,42 percent at the high technology level. We are very successful in Africa, we have bulk sales to 2 countries. We also exported to North America. We sold multiple units to a country in Pacific Asia. These exports started with SONGAR but continued with other systems. The advantage of selling systems to different geographies is that the operating conditions of your product vary depending on environmental conditions in different geographies. "Since we carried out this field integration everywhere, we have achieved a product that is resistant to environmental conditions and can fly for a long time," he said.
Test firing of the latest update will start soon
Stating that the test firings of the latest update will be made soon, Düzgün said, “Finally, we will integrate 81 mm triple mortar and 60 mm ammunition into SONGAR with MKE. We will shoot it very soon. This development was in great demand during the Ukrainian-Russian war. "These drones were used a lot to climb on top of an armored vehicle and drop and destroy an 81 mm mortar from the top," he said.
Local gimbal for SONGAR is on the way!
Providing information about the new gimbal projects that can be used in SONGAR, Düzgün continued his words as follows: “It runs under the cloud, can fly, can be used in HAVELSAN's vtol systems or SONGAR, has laser distance measurement capability, is quite assertive compared to its competitors abroad. We have a gimbal system that we will launch soon. The slightest vibration in the air causes obstruction of long-distance vision on earth. Cameras need to be stabilized. "The work on our stabilized imaging system, which is used in systems flying under clouds at long distances, has been completed and will be introduced soon."
We have become known in different geographies in the field of vision cameras
Emphasizing that ASISGUARD, which is also a SAHA Istanbul Member, has made a name for itself not only with its drone family but also with different projects in new geographies, Düzgün concluded his words as follows: “We started to show our other capabilities in the geographies we entered with the drone family. In fact, drone is one of the 4 main branches on our road map. Besides, we have a culture of designing day and night vision cameras. We have the ability to produce all camera systems you can think of, from border security, drones, gun turrets, to 360-degree cameras in armored vehicles. For example, we are the main contractor in the 700-vehicle modernization project of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB). "More than 2 thousand cameras in the vehicles of our security forces provide 360-degree imaging in the field."