New Delhi:
The Pakistani military launched Turkish-made ‘Songar’ armed drones on Thursday night, the government said in a briefing today. The Songar, developed by Ankara-based defence company Asisguard, is the first armed drone in the Turkish military.
- The Songar comes in five variants, including one in non-lethal role, according to information on Asisguard’s product portfolio page on its website.
- The five variants are differentiated by the weapons they carry – 5.56 x 45 mm assault rifle, 2 x 40 mm grenade launcher, 6 x 40 drum-type grenade launcher, and 3 x 81 mm mortar gripper.
- The non-lethal version can carry up to eight tear gas or smoke canisters.
- The system can broadcast real-time video and operate within a mission radius of up to 5 km, Asisguard says. This indicates the Pakistani drones were launched from areas very close to the border with India.
- The grenade-launcher version has close air support capability and can fire up to two grenades. Their effective range is 400-450 metres.