Author: Emil Lazarian

Turkey’s most advanced and sophisticated drone, the Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), has successfully completed another important stage in the ammunition integration process.

The developing company, Baykar, said the drone has completed a firing test with the domestically developed KGK-SIHA-82 (wing-assisted guidance kit) ammunition.

It said the drone, which took off from Çorlu province in northwestern Turkey on June 14, successfully completed the first firing test carried out for a determined coordinate on the sea off the coast of Sinop on the Black Sea.

The electro-optical camera on the Akıncı and the telemetry antennas on the ground confirmed that the ammunition weighing 340 kilograms (750 pounds) hit the target 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) away with pinpoint accuracy.

The KGK-SIHA-82 useful load has been developed by TÜBITAK Defense Industries Research and Development Institute (SAGE).

The Bayraktar Akıncı, which recently performed another successful firing test for a sea surface target with the Teber-82 Guidance Kit developed by another defense giant, Roketsan, also holds the altitude record in Turkish national aviation history.

The drone broke the altitude record by reaching an altitude of 40,170 feet in the test flight on March 11.

Bayraktar Akıncı UCAVs, which entered the inventory with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Aug. 29, 2021, are currently actively used by the security forces in operational duties. So far, six Bayraktar Akıncı UCAV have entered service.

Meanwhile, export contracts have been signed with three countries for this particular combat drone.

Within the scope of the contracts, the Bayraktar Akıncı UCAV and ground control systems are expected to be delivered periodically starting from 2023. Baykar, which made its first national UAV export in 2012, completed the export of $664 million worth of UCAVs in 2021, obtaining more than 80% of its revenues from exports.

Opposition “Resistance” Movement march through the streets of Yerevan on June 14

The leader of the opposition “Resistance” movement, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, told thousands of supporters gathered at Yerevan’s French Square on Tuesday, that the protests and rallies that have been going on since May 1 have had a positive result in their efforts to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

In a speech delivered ahead of a march through Yerevan streets, Saghatelyan, who is a deputy speaker of parliament representing the opposition Armenia Alliance, said that the unimpeded daily rallies and protests have had a groundswell of support and have proven that there is voice in the country that will fight for Armenia and Artsakh.

The “Resistance” movement protests have been marred by brutal police response. At one point hundreds of protesters were being arrested on daily basis, with law enforcement response escalating recently to include beating and dragging of protesters on the street.

The police violence was criticized by the United States Embassy in Yerevan, the European Union’s representation there as well as Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s office.

Saghatelyan said that moving forward, the movement will seek to establish more focused subdivisions and committees to better get the message across, and will include professional workshops, visits to the various regions of Armenia and public meetings. He explained that local committees will also be formed in Artsakh and in various communities in the Diaspora.

The new course charted by Saghatelyan also envisions one large rally a week—a departure from the daily gatherings—as well as one weekly march. He announced that a march would take place on Thursday, followed by a rally at the French Square on Saturday.

Saghatelyan also announced that tents erected at French Square, where hundreds stayed overnight, would be dismantled on Wednesday, vowing, however, that tents can go up when needed.

“At the rally, we will talk exclusively about what kind of Armenia we will represent. We will present our ideas in all directions,” said Saghatelyan, who also the chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia.