Ankara: – Turkey says it has tested a laser-equipped drone that can destroy targets at a distance of at least half a kilometre. Turkey claims this to be the world’s first laser-equipped drone. Turkey announced That the drone, which flies at an altitude of about 3,000 metres, will join the army after further tests.
Two days ago, Aykut Erdoğdu, a senior leader of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party, briefed the media on the drone test. Erdoğdu said the Eren drone, manufactured by the Turkish Defence Ministry’s companies Tubitak and Asisguard, had recently passed a test. The Eren drone is equipped with a laser and can penetrate bombs or other aerial targets, Turkish media quoted Erdogdu as saying.
The Eren drone took 90 seconds to penetrate a three-millimetre-thick carbon steel plate at a distance of half a kilometre. Erdogan said it took only 10 seconds to penetrate the same plate from a distance of 100 meters. Erdogan claimed that the Turkish army would soon be equipped with the world’s first and most penetrating laser drone.
However, further details of the Eren drone were not revealed. But the company that made the drone has released photographs. Turkish leaders said that Turkey may also sell drones in the near future. Turkey’s progress in drone production is a matter of concern to European countries, including Russia. Sales of Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 drones have increased.
Turkey‘s Bayraktar TB-2 drone is lighter in weight than the US MQ-9 Ripper drones and can carry four missiles. It is also claimed that the demand for Turkish drones is increasing as it is cheaper than US drones and more reliable than Chinese drones.
The last few years have seen the Turkish-made drones being used in the civil war in Libya, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border. A few weeks ago, Ukraine attacked a pro-Russian rebel base with Turkish drones ‘Bayraktar TB-2’. This created tension on the border between the two countries.
In the Libyan civil war, attacks by Turkish drones in the east have provoked reactions from France and Arab countries. It has been criticized that Turkish drones are being used to carry out attacks on civilians. British Defence Minister Ben Wallace has warned that Turkish drones influence geopolitical developments internationally.
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