(Photo : Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
Turkey has developed a kamikaze drone that is a copy of the Iranian UAV used in Ukraine.
- Turkish tech firm Robit Technology developed a new kamikaze drone called Azab.
- Azab is a copy of the Iranian kamikaze UAV with a few differences and is a multi-use type drone.
- The new UAV comes in two versions that allow mounting configurable weapons on hardpoints.
Turkey makes copies of the Iranian kamikaze UAV involved last year in pound Ukraine forces. Ankara had developed other drones like the one that Kyiv had used before but got jammed by Russian electronic warfare later.
Turkey Copies the Iranian Drone Deployed in Ukraine
A Turkish tech firm 'Robit Technology' developed the Iranian drone allegedly capable of multiple missions compared to the Shahed-136. Recent developments say the Azab is delta-winged like the Shahid but with a bigger payload, mentioned in the Daily Sabah.
Selçuk Fırat, product director at Robit Technology, stated that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) would do test firing when the test flights are finished. Next will be the testing of ammunition in the next few months. Media was informed that the ammunition test would be done by the year's third quarter. Once all is ready for production, they will fulfill future orders, cited Anadolu Agency.
Azab has been appearing on social media as a replica of the Shahed-136 drone that terrorized the Ukrainians.e
Turkey's Azab Is the Counterpart of Iran's Kamikaze UAV
Last October, the Iranian suicide drone appeared to cause havoc in Kyiv, giving the AFU other problems when these drones attacked the power infrastructure of the Ukrainians. Russia got a good deal with these cheap weapons that wasted expensive missiles from the west. Russian planners want the AFU to expend munitions that take longer to replace.
Two variants of the Azab will be made; one type is the sizeable 2-meter wing and a smaller 1.5-meter variant. The longer 6.5 feet wingspan can carry up to a 33-pound loadout.
Azab and Shahed Key Differences
The Shahed and Azab have a few contrasting differences, like the wingspan of the drones. Shahed-131(2.2 meters) and 136 (2.5 meters) is much bigger than the smaller Azab, reported by Eurasian Times.
The Azab can be launched via throw-and-forget, operator-assisted, to control the drone remotely 200 kilometers away as options, and is capable of autonomous attack with GPS coordinated and pictures of the target. The platform equips mortars, and tank guns, with RPG warheads and ordnance already in use.
A launcher for the Azab T200 is a 6-meter catapult system installed on a truck or container with a rocket drive, but it has yet to be available. Azab T150 has a 3-meter launcher catapult built for it already. A range of 1,000 kilometers for Shahed compared to 500 kilometers for Azab, and it also has anti-jammer technology.
Turkey developed a copy of the Iranian kamikaze UAV that Russia used in Ukraine, but both have significant differences.
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