The Songar unmanned aerial vehicle can protect convoys with up to 200 rounds of machine gun ammunition.
- Turkey has unveiled a new drone, the Songar.
- Songar is Turkey’s first armed drone and is equipped with an onboard machine gun.
- The drone is advertised as a defensive weapon but could be used offensively.
Turkey has unveiled the country’s first armed drone, a small tactical unmanned aerial vehicle designed to provide fire support for convoys or defensive positions, day or night, to ranges of up to six miles. The drone is not only armed with cameras but a light machine gun.
The Songar drone is built by Turkish defense contractor Asisguard. According to the company, Songar is designed to, “ increase survival against harassment fire in patrol zones and fortress patrol areas, or in the event of any ambush or threat during the transition of land vehicles and convoys.”
Songar weighs 55 pounds, has a range of 6.2 miles, and can reach an altitude of 9,200 feet. The drone is equipped with a day/night camera that transmits video in real time, providing damage assessment after the drone carries out an attack. The drone uses both the American GPS and Russian GLONASS navigation systems to get around, in case the country operating the drone finds itself locked out of one or the other. The system does not appear to be autonomous, requiring the drone operator or “man in the loop” to make the decision to open fire.
