TAI Baykuş
| TAI Baykuş | |
|---|---|
| Role | Unmanned drone reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition |
| Manufacturer | Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) |
TAI Baykuş is a radio-controlled tactical unmanned drone designed, developed and built by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) between 2003-2004.
Baykuş is the Turkish word for "owl". TAI produces other UAVs named after birds.
Development
The UAV was developed based on the experience gained by its half-sized model TAI Pelikan.[1]
The shoulder-winged UAV has all composite material airframe with metal twin tail booms. The drone is propelled by two 2-cylinder 2-stroke gasoline engines of type JPX DC320 from France with 2 x 20 hp (15 kW) power. There exist two versions of TAI Baykuş related to propeller configuration, a pusher and a tractor aircraft.[1]
The drone carries a two-axis gimbaled EO/IR camera, which relays its video in real-time telemetry. Its guidance/tracking takes place fully autonomous based on INS/GPS integrated waypoint navigation system. Take off and landing of the drone is accomplished in conventional way on wheels.[1]
Specifications
Data from TR Defence[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 0
- Length: 6 m (19 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 7 m (23 ft 0 in)
- Empty weight: 100 kg (220 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 250 kg (551 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × JPX DC320 2-cylinder two-stroke engine
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn)
- Endurance: 12 hr
- Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
References
- 1 2 3 4 "An overview of Turkish UAV R&D and production-TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries)". TR Defence. Retrieved 2013-02-03.