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The Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) has completed performance flight tests with Aselsan's new ASELFLIR-600 Electro-Optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Targeting System (EOTS), demonstrating detection capabilities at ranges up to 200 kilometers (124.2 miles).
Defense Industry Presidency (SSB) Chairman Haluk Gorgun stated on Saturday that the achievement reflects Türkiye's growing capabilities in electro-optical technologies.
"These systems are today among the world's most advanced electro-optical solutions, clearly proving themselves in the field with their reliability and performance," Gorgun said in a social media post.
The system demonstrated its capabilities by capturing clear imagery at distances of 35 kilometers, 140 kilometers, 147 kilometers, and 200 kilometers during the performance flights, with observers noting excellent stabilization throughout.
ASELFLIR-600 is equipped with Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) and high-resolution daytime camera channel integration, enabling sharp, full-color, high-detail imagery even under challenging operational conditions.
The system's laser target designation feature provides full verification capability for targeting operations.
The 25-inch electro-optical system features a common aperture with a primary mirror diameter of 325 mm, an HD thermal camera with 1280x1024 resolution, and an HD day TV camera with 1920x1080 resolution in a single-LRU configuration designed for HALE-class fixed- and rotary-wing airborne platforms.
Gorgun emphasized that domestic camera systems have transformed Türkiye's position in the global defense market.
"Our national cameras have not only met a need but have made Türkiye one of the game-changing countries in this field," Gorgun said, adding, "The level reached today is the natural result of a determined will, strong engineering intellect and strategic decisions taken at the right time."
The Defense Industry Presidency chairman described the success as a product of a defense ecosystem capable of acting without waiting or being directed when needed.
"This success is the product of a defense ecosystem that can act without waiting, without being directed, and without stepping back when needed. These systems, rapidly developed during challenging processes, are today among the world's most advanced electro-optical solutions," Gorgun added.
Gorgun thanked all countries that contributed directly or indirectly to the achievement and congratulated the defense industry ecosystem.
"Türkiye continues to determinedly build its own sensor, its own system, and its own technological path," Gorgun said.
The ASELFLIR-600 is designed for targeting as well as reconnaissance and surveillance applications on high-altitude, long-endurance platforms.
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