IDEF 2011: New Turkish rotary UAV unveiled

May 10, 2011

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) used the IDEF 2011 exhibition in Istanbul to unveil a new rotary UAV aimed at army and navy requirements.

The project, which was launched in 2010, initially saw the company take a manned Mosquito XE ultralight helicopter and convert it for autonomous use. This technology demonstrator was completed in December 2010 and the company then moved ahead with its own UAV design, self-funding the development of a new main rotor, tail rotor and transmission system.

A spokesman for TAI told Shephard the company had developed two new rotorheads for the aircraft, which has yet to be given an official name, and testing on these was expected to start soon. The design of the main rotor blades is currently being finalized and tests are expected to be carried out towards the end of the year while the autonomous flight control system is also currently under development.

The spokesman said the first flight of the RUAV was scheduled for 2012.

The aircraft is being developed with a variety of weapon systems and sensor suites in mind. While Roketsan is working with the company to integrate its products with the RUAV, TAI has not settled on a particular partner for the EO-IR payload.

The spokesman said that following interest from the Turkish Navy, the aircraft will be capable of autonomous take-off and landing from a ship.

As envisioned, the RUAV will have a maximum take-off weight of 340kg and is able to carry an 80kg payload for four hours. Its maximum cruise speed is 100kts while the operational ceiling is 10,000 feet.

However, the company believes the design is scalable and could be applied to larger or smaller airframes in the future.

Tony Skinner, Istanbul

Source: Shephard.
Link: http://www.shephard.co.uk/news/uvonline/idef-2011-new-turkish-rotary-uav-unveiled/9020/.