The Turkish army is about to be equipped with a drone armed with a 5.56mm machine gun, possibly coupled to a 40mm grenade launcher. This will make this army the first in the world to use such a system.
The Songar armed drone manufactured by Turkish company Asisguard is armed with a 5.56mm machine gun (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The Songar armed drone system is the first Turkish-made automatic shooting stabilized armed drone. With high-quality design and outstandingly remarkable functions, it was developed to be used efficiently in all military and security-based during day and night operations. The Songar drone armed with a machine gun. It can carry out missions within a 10km range, at an operational altitude of 2,800 meters MSL, and transmit real-time images.
The Songar armed drone is equipped with a specially-designed flexible ammunition belt and an automatic firing mechanism. It can carry 200 rounds of 5.56 x 45mm rounds. The drone can carry on a mission without any special intervention. The 25kg drone flies thanks to eight rotors mounted on four masts. Its machine gun carries 200 rounds of ammunition and can fire single shots or 15-round bursts. It is hard for a drone to shoot accurately, partly because of the difficulty of judging range and angle, and partly because the recoil from each shot significantly moves the drone, affecting the aim for the next round. Songar has two systems to overcome these challenges. One uses sensors, including cameras and a laser rangefinder, to calculate distance, angle and wind speed, and work out where to aim. The second is a set of robot arms that move the machine gun to compensate for the effects of recoil. Asisguard claims Songar has an accuracy that corresponds to hitting a 15-centimeter area from 200 meters. That is accurate enough for every bullet to hit a human-sized target at that range. A human drone pilot picks the target by putting crosshairs on it using a screen on a remote control.
Songar has night sensors for operating in darkness and has a range of 10 kilometers. It may also operate in groups. Ayhan Sunar at Asisguard says a swarm of three Songar can be flown using a single remote control, with all three firing at a target simultaneously.
