Following the 6,2 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Silivri in the Sea of Marmara and was felt in Istanbul and surrounding provinces, national UAVs produced by Baykar, the pride of Türkiye, made significant contributions to the coordination efforts initiated. According to the information received, from the first moments of the earthquake, the advanced technology unmanned aerial vehicles developed by Baykar effectively undertook the coordination task from the air.
Bayraktar AKINCI and TB2s in the Sky
One Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (Attack Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and two Bayraktar TB2 SİHA (Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) used by Baykar for flight tests and training activities were immediately put into action after the earthquake news was received. These national vehicles, which quickly took off from their bases in Çorlu and Keşan, began operating in the skies of Istanbul to support the coordination efforts carried out after the earthquake.
Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA performed its mission with the flight code KAYI01, while Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs performed their flights with the flight codes BAYKAR01 and T464. These mission flights could also be monitored instantly via aviation tracking applications. It is stated that national UAVs play a critical role in aerial image transfer, damage detection and coordination in the earthquake zone.
SİHAs Also Play an Active Role in Civilian Missions
National UAVs, which are among Türkiye’s significant achievements in the defense industry, undertake important tasks in the civilian field as well as security duties. They are effectively used in many vital civilian tasks such as natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, search and rescue operations, tracking irregular migration and combating forest fires. Thanks to these versatile capabilities, national UAVs provide rapid and effective intervention in times of crisis, contributing to minimizing loss of life and property.
Critical Tasks in Past Disasters Not Forgotten
The active role of national UAVs in disasters has also been demonstrated in the past. Bayraktar TB24 UAVs undertook important tasks in the 2020 magnitude earthquake centered in Sivrice, Elazığ, on January 6,8, 2. In the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, which caused great destruction, Bayraktar TB2 UAVs remained in the air for a long time of 2 hours and 417 minutes in total, providing uninterrupted support to search-rescue and coordination efforts.
Again, Bayraktar AKINCI UCAVs, the only aircraft that managed to take off despite the difficult weather conditions immediately after the February 6 earthquakes, undertook critical tasks in search and rescue, coordination, security and damage assessment operations. 9 national UCAVs AKINCIs that took off from the first moments of the earthquake made significant contributions to the ongoing operations by performing continuous flights in the disaster area. These experiences once again reveal the indispensable role of national UAVs in disaster management and times of crisis.
