First unmanned ground vehicle launches guided missile

Türkiye's first unmanned ground vehicle Barkan, developed by HAVELSAN under the coordination of the Defense Industries Presidency (SSB), has made its first guided missile firing.

"Unmanned patrols can be carried out at the border walls by attaching a 3-meter camera system to it," HAVELSAN officials said, noting that Barkan can detect things up to 200 meters away thanks to the sensors in its front surface.

The vehicle has the Sarp Weapon System developed by Türkiye's largest defense company Aselsan as a payload, which has 360-degree rotation capability, they informed.

Stressing that the test shot was made with the laser-guided miniature missile system METE developed by Türkiye's rocket producer Roketsan, the officials said the weapon systems can be dismantled and replaced with an arm to interfere with suspicious packages or bombs.

It can pinpoint targets in motion and has a command-control distance of 2 kilometers, they added.

"There is great interest in Barkan from Azerbaijan, Asia and the Gulf countries."

Designed according to the needs of the modern battlefield, Barkan is expected to be an important assistant to the soldier in the field, especially in increasing the success of the operation, reducing the costs and preventing losses.

Thanks to its "herd infrastructure," it will be able to perform joint operations with other ground and air vehicles from a single center.

Barkan, which weighs 500 kilos with its weapons and can tow up to 500 kilos behind it, can perform tasks such as carrying or pulling loads, providing close protection and armed reconnaissance both day and night.

The vehicle, whose battery works for eight hours, can climb a 60-degree ramp and can move in 40 centimeters of water.