Following its scaled FPV family and TOYCA-05 fixed-wing kamikaze UAV, Turkiye-based SKYDAGGER is entering the C-UAS field with the AVCI interceptor UAV.
SKYDAGGER’s AVCI, capable of speeds above 300 km/h, was unveiled with a flight test video showing takeoff. This makes SKYDAGGER the second known Turkish firm to enter the interceptor UAV field, after STM, which unveiled a rendering of its own interceptor UAV design.
Interceptor UAVs can be described as cross-overs of quadcopter UAVs and missiles in terms of configuration, to which they owe their high speed. Like a quadcopter, they control their flight direction using differential thrust from propellers, while the flight behaviour is more like that of a missile with thrust vectoring due to the overall thrust direction being in line with the flight direction. This allows speeds in excess of most propeller-driven kamikaze UAVs, a contributing factor to the success in the field (Notably in Ukraine).
Due to their simple configuration, high success rate, and cheap components, interceptor UAVs have come to be viewed as key assets for defence against massed kamikaze UAV fleets, in support of conventional means of air defence.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
