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| Karayel-SU |
Militarymedia.net - Saudi Arabia is apparently not satisfied with only developing the Saker-1B, the UAVOS drone and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), which are limited to drones with reconnaissance functions. Meanwhile, for combat missions, aka combatants, Saudi Arabia still needs to work on other types. And after 2017 negotiations with manufacturers from Turkey, a production cooperation agreement on the Karayel-SU drone has been concluded.
Currently, the production process for the Karayel-SU combat drone (UCAV) is underway. Karayel-SU itself is included as a combat drone with MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) qualifications. This drone was originally made by the Turkish company, Vestel Savunma.
Under the cooperation agreement, two companies from Saudi Arabia, namely Intra Defense Technologies and Advanced Electronics Company (AEC), will manufacture Karayel-SU at production facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The details of the cooperation above were not explained, however, reportedly AEC will produce several electronic components, while Vestal is still working on the important parts of the drone. Under negotiations that began at the Dubai AirShow 2017, it is estimated that Karayel-SU will build 40 units in the 2021-2025 period, while the contract value is said to reach US $ 200 million.
Karayel-SU is powered by a single propeller engine, with the engine positioned at the front, coupled with a fixed landing gear design, the shape of this drone is briefly reminiscent of the Cessna light aircraft model.
At a glance, Karayel-SU (Armed-Extended Wing), from the ability of this drone to carry two hardpoints on each wing. Each hardpoint can be loaded with a payload weighing 30 kg, so the total payload of weapons that this drone can carry is 120 kg. In addition to the weapon payload, Karayel-SU can also be loaded with a payload of 50 kg EO / IR sensors. These favorite weapons are the guided munitions MAM-C and MAM-L.
Karayel-SU has a length of 6.5 meters, a height of 2.45 meters and a wingspan of 13 meters. With a 97 hp engine, this drone has a cruising speed of 148 km per hour. The flight range and radius of control of this drone is in the range of 150-200 km and is capable of flying for 20 hours non-stop. The maximum weight of the Karayel-SU drone reaches 560 kg.
