In the test at the UAV Test Center in Kalecik, 2 Under-Cloud Unmanned Aerial Vehicles BAHA, 2 Unmanned Ground Vehicles BARKAN and a drone swarm of 5 drones served together under a determined scenario. All vehicles fulfilled the task assigned to them by sharing tasks in line with their abilities.
HAVELSAN General Manager Mehmet Akif Nacar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that with the R&D project that started in 2020, they carried out the roadmap on herd unmanned vehicles step by step.
Stating that the studies in this scope started with the Unmanned Ground Vehicle BARKAN and that they made the vehicle capable of autonomous missions, Nacar stated that they then started working on unmanned systems under the cloud and revealed BAHA.
Explaining that they are working to implement swarm intelligence autonomously with these vehicles and swarm-friendly drones, Nacar stated that they have implemented an infrastructure that can take off together and work together within the framework of different formations.
Noting that they tested the Mixed Herd Operations Center in the last field test, Nacar gave the following information about the test:
“Our 2 pioneer UAVs are conducting reconnaissance in the air. Unmanned ground vehicles on the ground can be directed to the targets they detect. After unmanned ground vehicles on the ground detect the targets, we also send our swarm drones to that region to continue the exploration in the region from there. Pioneer UAVs go to their mission areas, o By sending our swarm systems to the region, we complete this scenario, this operation. This is one of the most important milestones we want to reach in terms of digital troops and swarm technologies. By realizing this in the field, we have taken a very important step. From now on, more different scenarios, more unmanned systems in future systems “We will be developing this ecosystem by working on scenarios where aircraft, unmanned ground vehicles and swarm drones can operate, and where several drones can operate at the same time. Today, we have achieved an important success on the ground.”
“There are countries we can sell to”
Nacar, who stated that their work is slowly starting to pay off, said that they exported BAHA, that it is planned to be used within the Turkish Armed Forces, and that they delivered BARKAN to the inventory.
Nacar said, “Thanks to this operation center, we will have autonomously achieved the ability to perform multiple multi-tasks simultaneously with a single command center. From now on, we will continue on our way to realize larger swarms and larger ecosystems.” said.
Mehmet Akif Nacar stated that they think that these are the countries where they can sell the herd concept or mixed herd as a package for the first time, and when they succeed, they will be one of the first.
“It showed the maturity level of our algorithms”
Emphasizing that the test conducted with the Mixed Herd Operations Center revealed that the “herd intelligence” has reached the maturity to be able to take the field in terms of algorithms and software, Nacar made the following assessments:
“This combined combined system of our software and the algorithms we have made and developed, whether it is a distributed system or the management of these swarms with a central system, and with swarm intelligence, actually shows the maturity level of the software. The relative positions of the drones to each other, their communication between themselves, link Connections, changing their positions as a result of communication are all part of this job. Of course, they are commanded from the ground. There is also a commander at the head of the herd. The commander gives commands from the ground, gives the commands to the UAVs. When they find the target, they report to the ground. “By transferring unmanned land vehicles from the ground and swarm drones from the air, it completes the operation. This is a test that shows that our algorithms have reached the maturity level. We think that we will continue these tests in more difficult conditions, in different fields, and we will do more successful work.”
Mehmet Akif Nacar said that different companies aim to integrate their unmanned vehicles into this system, and that they think they can achieve this by communicating with an autonomy module or existing autonomy. Nacar noted that there is a roadmap for incorporating existing products in the inventory into the mixed herd in the same way.
New export news is on the way
HAVELSAN Product Development and Production Director Veysel Ataoğlu said that they have been conducting various tests in the field for a long time and they are trying to ensure that different vehicles can fulfill the concept of joint mission.
Emphasizing that with the Mixed Swarm Operation Center, they confirmed that unmanned air-ground vehicles can be managed, communicated with each other, and the assigned tasks can be fulfilled, Ataoğlu stated that from now on, they will try to expand the field of “digital unity” with different types of vehicles. Ataoglu said:
“We are not the manufacturers of these platforms, we are at the point of their mind. There are companies that produce these platforms, and we make them smart, we turn them into robots. These robots will also contribute in terms of cost, reduction of military losses, and a high level of success. HAVELSAN We have brought these systems to a level where they can move with each other by running an algorithm we call artificial intelligence.”
Expressing that they also explained the concept of “Digital unity” to customers and that there was an interest in these products, Ataoğlu gave the following information about their export activities:
“We exported BAHA. I can say that our second export is on the way. There is a demand from a country in Central Asia, we can say that we have reached the level of 90 percent. Our goal is to show that BARKAN can be integrated into this system, together with BAHA, and we are trying to create a concept that can be used abroad. Our goal is to realize the export of BARKAN in the near future.”
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