What are Turkish Songar drones, used by Pak to attack India?
Pakistan's attempted drone incursion in 36 military and civilian sites between the intervening night of Thursday (May 8) and Friday (May 9) likely involved Turkish-made Asisguard Songar drones, India said on Friday.
In a press briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said, 'A forensic examination of the drone debris is currently underway. Preliminary reports indicate that the drones are Turkish-made Asisguard Songar models.'
Designed and manufactured by Turkey-based defence company Asisguard, Songar drones were first launched in April 2019, and delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) after successful completion of their testing in February 2020. They are Turkey's first indigenous armed drones.
Design and features
The drone has a width of 140 cm from rotor to rotor, and a maximum take-off weight of 45 kg. It has the ability to perform 35 minutes of duty without a payload.
The portable unmanned aerial system (UAS) broadcasts real-time video, and operates within a radius of up to 5 km. It can ascend to an altitude of up to 3,000 m above mean sea level and 300 m above ground level. The drone can be used for both day and night military operations.
Songar consists of a pilot camera for surveillance and exploration purposes, and a gun-mounted camera.
The drone comes with autonomous and manual flight control modes. It also comprises features such as returning home in case there is a loss of connection between the drone and its remote controller.
Songar drones use both Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS navigation systems for communications during operations.
The armaments
There are different types of Songar drone systems based on the weapons they feature. The website of Asisguard lists five types of Songar drones: Songar 5.56 x 45 mm Assault Rifle, Songar 2×40 mm Grenade Launcher, Songar 6×40 mm Drum Type Grenade Launcher, Songar 3×81 mm Mortar Gripper, Songar 8 x Tear/Smoke Grenade Launcher. Each one of them comes with multi-layered firing safety measures until the operator's authorisation is received.
Songar's assault rifle carries 5.56×45 mm cartridges, the standard cartridge used by guns made for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) militaries. It comes with a recoil force-damping mechanism which reduces the impact of recoil on the drone.
The grenade launcher type Songar can fire up to two grenades within the range of 400-450 metres. For firing more grenades, there is the Drum Type Grenade Launcher which can launch up to six grenades within the same range as the Songar 2×40 mm Grenade Launcher.
The tear or smoke grenade launcher can fire up to 8 grenades, and 'executes direct impact on target through controlled free-fall deployment (controlled descent through the air),' according to Asisguard.
Performance
Songar drones are designed for coordinated attacks with other military assets, such as troops or other drones. It also offers versatility during land, maritime and special operations.
The UAS can be deployed stealthily, allowing forces to launch a surprise attack without revealing their location or presence.
The drones can be used for reconnaissance and surveillance, providing real-time intelligence on enemy movements.
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