Türkiye’s Havelsan launches Bulut drone for military, civilian missions

Turkish defense contractor Havelsan has introduced a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called Bulut, marking a significant advancement in the country’s domestic drone capabilities for both military and civilian applications.

The drone, which has already been inducted into the Turkish Armed Forces and General Directorate of Security inventory, can operate continuously for six hours and transmit data up to 80 kilometers away. What sets Bulut apart is its ability to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance missions independent of GNSS systems, even in adverse weather conditions including light rain and snow.

“Bulut’s rapid integration into the inventory and its active field deployment today is primarily due to our team’s swift response to these expectations,” said Mehmet Akif Nacar, general manager of Havelsan.

Turkish UAV Bulut shines with hybrid propulsion system

The UAV features a hybrid propulsion system, utilizing electric motors for vertical takeoff and landing while employing a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine for surveillance missions.

With a payload capacity of 5 kilograms, the drone incorporates advanced operational features including moving object detection, collision avoidance, and anti-jamming capabilities.

Muhittin Solmaz, Havelsan’s deputy general manager of Simulation, Autonomous and Platform Management Technologies, noted that Bulut was developed following the company’s experience with their previous drone, Baha. The project was executed under the leadership of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) to meet specific reconnaissance and surveillance requirements.

The drone’s versatility extends beyond military applications. It can be deployed for border and coastal patrol, counter-narcotics operations, thermal measurement, forest fire response, post-disaster search and rescue, environmental pollution detection, agricultural activities, and infrastructure security monitoring.

Havelsan began its robotics and autonomous systems initiative in 2019, developing unmanned vehicles for air, land, and sea operations. Product Development Director Veysel Ataoglu revealed that the company continues to improve Bulut based on operational feedback and is working on different versions of the vehicle.

The system’s ability to transfer control between ground stations through its “handover” feature addresses a crucial need for security forces, enabling seamless operational continuity in the field.