TR UAV/UCAV Programs | Anka - series | Kızılelma | TB - series

dustdevil

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AKINCI 4️⃣0️⃣.1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ in ft!
AKINCI B just broke his altitude record.
It reached the highest altitude ever reached by a national and original design aircraft.
Good luck to our country and our nation.
They blurred the indicated airspeed from videos but it’s still visible elsewhere in the photos. I think I could understand the user interface a bit and because it’s not super secret I’ll try to describe:

In the first photo It is doing around 196 kts true airspeed which was the maximum speed spec for Akıncı but could be coincidence because it should go faster at a lower altitude due to engine performance. Second screen shows indicated airspeed of 103 kts. The ground speed is higher due to winds at the altitude.

Could it be maximum speed? The load on engine seems fairly high so possible… flightradar24 track history shows higher ground speed (around 330 kts at one time) this could be due to gps/flightradar error or if it was correct it can go faster up to 270 kts true airspeed with 140 knots indicated speed.

On the second screen we can also see maximum and minimum command speeds. The lower is 77 knots, which could be stall speed with or without flaps. The highest speed is 242 knots indicated but this could only happen in a dive or at a lower altitude…

indicated airspeed= related with aerodynamics, what aircraft feels, caused by air pressure
True airspeed= speed relative to air molecules
Groundspeed=speed relative to ground

Groundspeed=true airspeed + wind

The altitude record of 40000 ft is not barometric, it’s the GPS altitude according to the photo. It is the real physical altitude so it is a legit claim but when comparing with other aircraft we should keep in mind and not confuse altitude types.
 
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Zafer

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They blurred the indicated airspeed from videos but it’s still visible elsewhere in the photos. I think I interpreted the used interface a bit and because it’s not super secret I’ll try to describe:

In the first photo It is doing around 196 kts true airspeed which was the cruise spec for Akıncı but could be coincidence because it should go faster at a lower altitude due to engine performance. Second screen shows indicated airspeed of 100 kts. The ground speed is higher due to winds at the altitude.

Could it be maximum speed? The load on engine seems fairly high so possible… flightradar24 track shows higher ground speed this could be due to gps/flightradar error or it can go faster up to 270 kts true airspeed with 140 knots indicated speed.

On the second screen we can also see maximum and minimum command speeds. The lower is 77 knots, which could be stall speed with or without flaps. The highest speed is 242 knots indicated but this could only happen in a dive or low altitude…

indicated airspeed= related with aerodynamics, what aircraft feels, caused by air pressure
True airspeed= speed relative to air molecules
Groundspeed=speed relative to ground

Groundspeed=true airspeed + wind
My guess is its top true airspeed can be 258 kts / 478 km/h going from engine power.
 
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dustdevil

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My guess is its top true airspeed can be 253 kts / 475 km/h going from engine power.
The commanded indicated airspeed is 115 kts on the second photo, actual airspeed is 103 kts so the engine is trying to accelerate the aircraft, causing higher engine load. At this command speed the true airspeed would be around ~220 kts. 253 kts would be quite possible. If you believe flightradar24 data it might have reached to around 270kts during some parts of the flight but I can’t be sure due to GPS jamming and possible flightradar24 glitches.
 

Zafer

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The commanded indicated airspeed is 115 kts on the second photo, actual airspeed is 103 kts so the engine is trying to accelerate the aircraft, causing higher engine load. At this command speed the true airspeed would be around ~220 kts. 253 kts would be quite possible. If you believe flightradar24 data it might have reached to around 270kts during some parts of the flight but I can’t be sure due to GPS jamming and possible flightradar24 glitches.
I am actually making this guess purely based on available engine power.
My guess is 252 kts / 466 km/h to put more precisely.
We will see when it is announced.
 
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Bogeyman 

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Drone cameras Canada to send to Ukraine banned earlier for export to Turkey because of use in combat​

The cameras Canada will provide to Ukraine for use against the Russian military are the same ones the Liberal government earlier banned for export to Turkey after they were used in combat.


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday the government would provide $50 million in new military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Some of that money will be used to purchase Wescam surveillance cameras for Ukraine’s Bayraktar TB2 armed drones. The Bayraktar TB2 is built by Turkey and has been sold to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Poland and several other nations.



Sources tell this newspaper the money will be used to buy between 30 and 40 of the cameras from L3Harris Wescam in Hamilton, Ont. It is not known how quickly the surveillance cameras can be made available to Ukraine and the Canadian government has not provided any details.



Last April, Marc Garneau, then Canadas foreign affairs minister, put a halt to exports of L3Harris Wescam cameras to Turkey for use in the Bayraktar TB2. The ban on exporting the sensors to Turkey came after the Canadian government determined the Bayraktar drones were used by Azeri forces fighting Armenia in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“This use was not consistent with Canadian foreign policy, nor end-use assurances given by Turkey,” Garneau stated.



The ban on exporting the cameras to Turkey will remain in place.



Ukraine is believed to have around 50 of the Bayraktar TB2 drones, which it first bought in 2019.



The relatively low-cost Bayraktar drones have been successful in targeting tanks and other armoured vehicles during various conflicts. Ukraine has posted video of one of the aircraft attacking a Russian military column.



The Wescam equipment is also installed on U.S. Predator drones that have been used in what the Americans call “targeted killings” involving terrorist targets. But it has also been estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 innocent civilians have been killed in those drone attacks in Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and Yemen.

Turkey, a NATO ally, reacted angrily to Canada’s decision last year on the export ban. Officials there warned that the Canadian response could cause serious problems to Turkey and its drone clients.
 

Nutuk

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And what are Ukrainians gonna do with those flir camera's? It's only worth something if it is placed on a drone
 

Zafer

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Canada wants to bail out its collapsing L3 Harris Company the maker of Wescam sensors. No thanks.
 

dustdevil

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I am actually making this guess purely based on available engine power.
My guess is 252 kts / 466 km/h to put more precisely.
We will see when it is announced.

I don’t have the engine data but did some more observations. I believe the data on flightradar24 is not correct, also the calculated ground speed on Akıncı screen could be false as the wind was not that much yesterday (ads-b data from airliners show 30 kts wind at most at those levels https://www.adsbexchange.com/ , also supported with forecast models like those can be seen in windy.com )

The torque and RPM is available from the photos too and gives around 295 shp at this altitude.

From the kW figure on the screen it is 215 hp.

Sea level and static for the engine 750 hp.

~3.5 times less power due to altitude. Direct proportion of cube root of this power ratio and 195 kts TAS makes it 297 kts at a lower altitude where 750 hp is available (maybe somewhere around 10000 ft). Efficiency loss due to speed and not takeoff power let’s make it ~280 kts.
Edit: engine was trying to accelerate the aircraft so real HP to maintain 195 kts even 220 kts TAS would be less so there could be a big error in my assumption, or maybe it was not enough to accelerate, we can’t know unless we watch that part of the flight, but it looks like it’s not able to accelerate easily:

6632358D-1F4A-483E-B007-394F74074D94.jpeg




Maximum command speed is 242 according to display. If it can maintain 242 kts IAS at 10000 ft TAS would be around 280 kts too.

So my super crude estimate is between 260 and 280 kts TAS to be on the safe side but at inefficient low altitudes which Akıncı will not use.
 
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Anmdt

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And what are Ukrainians gonna do with those flir camera's? It's only worth something if it is placed on a drone
They will not waste their time awaiting for the maintenance (doubt if they can even maintain those). They will swap the E/O and the drone will continue its schedule with minimal maintenance.
 

Saithan

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They will not waste their time awaiting for the maintenance (doubt if they can even maintain those). They will swap the E/O and the drone will continue its schedule with minimal maintenance.
I wonder if the E/O on TB2 to Ukraine is using Wescam. I think it may be since Canada announced the aid. It would be really ridiculous otherwise.

Would Aselsans E/O on TB2 use same configuration as Wescam. Wouldn't there be a difference in programming to a certain degree including calibration ?
 

dustdevil

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I wonder if the E/O on TB2 to Ukraine is using Wescam. I think it may be since Canada announced the aid. It would be really ridiculous otherwise.

Would Aselsans E/O on TB2 use same configuration as Wescam. Wouldn't there be a difference in programming to a certain degree including calibration ?
The train bombing scene had the usual GUI but the quality was a bit low, like Aselsan CATS. It could be due to capturing a monitor screen by a phone though and I don’t think if CATS is used the GUI/symbology would remain the same.

Also I saw a new GUI mode where constant laser spot or representative of it is visible, like the one in the moving vehicle bombing. I don’t remember it from previous footage. Could it be due to a new designator or a new symbology mode to help the operator? (The black lines are edges of multiple screens so disregard it but the spot is there)
BEB24C6C-1B62-49C0-85CF-E7700207ABB8.jpeg
01572F92-B648-4D07-9089-2AD4227F97DC.jpeg
07DE95C9-295D-4857-B3FD-8D3D3376796C.jpeg
 
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Anmdt

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I wonder if the E/O on TB2 to Ukraine is using Wescam. I think it may be since Canada announced the aid. It would be really ridiculous otherwise.

Would Aselsans E/O on TB2 use same configuration as Wescam. Wouldn't there be a difference in programming to a certain degree including calibration ?
Unless Canada embargoes the export customer, then TB2s are delivered with Wescam E/O upon customer request.

I don't think they have embargoed Ukraine earlier or restricted export of the Wescam products, i presume? If they did otherwise their recent act becomes funnier.
 

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