Turkish army purchases indigenous machine gun drone

By Goksel Yildirim

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish military is expanding its inventory with Songar, the first Turkish-made armed drone capable of firing automatic weapons.

Eight Songar drone systems, equipped with automatic machine guns, will enter service with the deal signed between Turkey's Defense Industries Presidency and the drones' manufacturer, Asis Elektronik.

The drones will ensure the safety of Turkish security forces in the field during counter-terrorism operations, increase effectiveness by holding targets under fire and supporting existing reconnaissance and surveillance tools.

Capable of staying aloft for 20 minutes when fully loaded, Songar will operate at a minimum altitude of 3,000 meters and carry a 5.56 caliber rifle and 200 bullets.

The system will also include a laser to determine distance to a target, and is equipped with a specially-designed flexible ammunition feed chute as well as an automatic firing mechanism.

It is able to quickly replace its bullet compartment without needing any human intervention.