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A Turkish defense firm has secured export agreements with five countries for its domestically developed “nano” unmanned helicopter, produced with state-backed research and development support.
The nano-class unmanned helicopter, named Nanoalp, was developed by Uludogan Defense Industry Technology Inc. at Teknopark Istanbul with support from TUBITAK’s Industrial R&D Projects Support Program and investment from Teknopark Istanbul’s High Technology Fund.
Company Chairman Seyfeddin Cevdet Uludogan said the first export shipment was made to the United Arab Emirates, while agreements have been signed with four additional countries and production has begun.
“We also received requests from South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and countries in the Middle East,” Uludogan said, noting that international interest has accelerated following the completion of the R&D phase.
Uludogan said the system is currently produced with 60% domestic content, with a target to raise that figure to 96% within one year.
He emphasized that Nanoalp offers up to 50% cost advantage compared to its foreign equivalents while maintaining similar operational capabilities.
According to Uludogan, foreign nano helicopter equivalents, often referred to as “bee drones,” are costly and sometimes subject to export restrictions and embargoes.
Nanoalp belongs to the nano unmanned aerial vehicle class, defined as platforms weighing under 200 grams and measuring less than 25 centimeters.
These systems are primarily used for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and search-and-rescue missions.
Uludogan said Nanoalp stands out with its fully autonomous flight capability, low noise signature, sensor fusion technology, high payload capacity and high localization rate.
The helicopter can operate in GPS-denied or jammed environments, performing pre-programmed missions independently.
Weighing 100 grams, Nanoalp can carry payloads of up to 350 grams, enabling use in confined environments such as buildings, caves and forests.
Uludogan said the system can remain airborne twice as long as conventional drones and is significantly quieter, making detection difficult even at close range.
The platform can conduct both reconnaissance-intelligence missions and kamikaze-style operations from the same system, he added.
Uludogan said the annual market size for nano-class unmanned helicopters used in military reconnaissance, intelligence and search-and-rescue missions in Türkiye is estimated at $100 million to $150 million.
“With Nanoalp, we are reducing foreign dependency in critical technologies while keeping high-value-added resources within the country,” he said.
“Our goal is to meet domestic needs first and then expand to global markets with high-technology products.”
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