A model of Titra Technology’s new kamikaze UAV, Deli, is on display at the SAHA Expo in Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 25, 2022. (AA Photo)
Turkey’s defense contractor Titra Teknoloji had successfully tested a new suicide drone dubbed Deli, Turkish news sources reported on June 23.
During the test, the hardware and the software of the drone worked as planned. The drone was able to hit its target with high accuracy.
Only 15 minutes are needed to set up the Deli drone, which can be launched either by hand or catapulted. The drone has a maximum takeoff weight of 13 kg, a range of 85 kilometers, an endurance of 75 minutes and an operational altitude of 3,500 meters.
The suicide drone is typically armed with a 3.1 kg warhead that was especially developed for it by TÜBİTAK Defense Industries Research and Development Institute.
Deli is guided by a GNSS-aided inertial navigation system and equipped with an anti-jamming system. The guidance system suggests that the drone can only engage static targets.
It is still unclear if the new suicide drone will enter service with the Turkish Armed Forces, or when exactly this could happen.
Turkey became one of the world’s key developers and manufacturers of reconnaissance and combat drones in recent years. However, Ankara is yet to catch up with many other countries, like Israel, Iran and Russia, when it comes to the development of suicide drones and loitering munitions.
