Turkish systems and software company HAVELSAN has announced its ‘Digital Troops’ systems are ready for the real mission.
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Press Release, Ankara, 07 April 2023: HAVELSAN, which has been working for a while on the swarm infrastructure that enables unmanned vehicles to operate together, aims to cross a critical threshold this year. Having introduced the concept of ‘Digital Troops’ for the first time at the 15th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2021), HAVELSAN plans to bring these troops, which include unmanned vehicles, BAHA VTOL Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, BARKAN Unmanned Ground Vehicle, KAPGAN Medium Class-2 Unmanned Ground Vehicle and SANCAR Armed Unmanned Surface Vehicle, that have reached a certain maturity, to the field this year.
In an interview with the press, HAVELSAN’s President & CEO Dr. Mehmet Akif Nacar stated that unmanned land, air and sea vehicles had attracted great attention since they were introduced and he also mentioned that HAVELSAN would reveal examples of the autonomous platforms that form the ‘Digital Troops’ this year. He added that HAVELSAN’s experts in the field of autonomous platforms carry out many infrastructure works related to field activities. In 2023, ‘Digital Troops’ will be on the field. Nacar claimed that it is time for BAHA, BARKAN, KAPGAN and SANCAR to demonstrate their advanced performance and full coordination capabilities by operating jointly and communicating with each other through swarm intelligence. The tests and verifications of HAVELSAN on the products and the platforms that make up ‘Digital Troops’ continue.
Nacar also explained the advancements of BARKAN. He pointed out that it was a product that has been tested in the field for two years. The UGV has been updated in line with the expected needs. BARKAN-2 has emerged according to this and new features added to the product. At first, the UGV was made with a 7.62-millimeter weapon system but later on, it was presented at SAHA Expo with a 12.7-millimetre weapon system. The start of the mass production of BARKAN is planned to be made in the first half of 2023. Test and platform improvement studies are also carried out for the Medium Class-2 Unmanned Ground Vehicle KAPGAN.
The ‘Digital Troops’ reflects the image of a future battlefield. The ‘Digital Troops’ increase safety for soldiers, improve efficiency and cost savings, increase precision and accuracy and reduce the risk of human error with enhanced capabilities and versatility.
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