The first Çaldıran, produced by the Turkish Kale Kalıp-Baykar joint venture, has already completed production and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will start to deploy it next week.
The joint venture won a contract to produce 12 UAS from the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM). The Çaldıran is superior to other domestically manufactured UAS currently in use by the TSK. Çaldıran has a range of 1,200 kilometers, can fly at an altitude of 22,000 feet, can stay in the air for 12 hours, has a nine-foot wingspan and has thermal cameras with advanced viewing capacity for night and day.
The 11 remaining intelligence gathering aircraft will be delivered to the TSK in the next two years. The total cost of the contract is $24 million, TSK sources told Zaman.
Other UAS previously produced by the same industrial group, which have a range of 15 kilometers and flying speed of 55 knots-per-hour, collect intelligence in southeastern Turkey at the moment. At present 168 domestically produced UAS are used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for surveillance activities.
Source: Today’s Zaman