Turkish firm SolidAERO has shared the flight test footage of its TALAY maritime kamikaze UAV making use of ground effect to fly at extremely low altitudes.

Taking a rather unconventional approach to the idea of using kamikaze UAVs for maritime strike, SolidAERO shared the test footage of the TALAY kamikaze UAV making use of ground effect to allow flight at sub-meter altitudes.

The test footage recorded by Anadolu Agency News shows TALAY cruising at near sea level and proceeding to perform a pop-up manoeuvre.

SolidAERO will be present at the IDEF25 defence exhibition to be held in the Istanbul Exhibition Centre (İFM).

TALAY: Bringing Ground Effect to Kamikaze UAVs

Using the wing-in-ground effect phenomenon, TALAY can cruise at altitudes between 0.3 m and 150 m. This phenomenon can be explained as the surface providing a cushioning effect, which provides a significant increase in lift.

TALAY’s extremely low flight altitude presents an advantage against radars by flying below the coverage, making it ideal for attacking ships of low tonnage or crippling larger ones.

The UAV can carry a payload of 30 kg and fly for three hours at a speed of 200 km/h.

Additionally, for long-distance communication, communication is possible at distances of up to 300 km. This range is likely provided by BLOS communication through relay platforms.

KOVAK Tiltrotor Kamikaze UAV

Alongside TALAY, SolidAERO is developing another out-of-box kamikaze UAV named KOVAK. Intended for field-level operations, KOVAK features three propellers, with two of them on the wings being tiltable for forward flight.

KOVAK can carry a 1.5 kg payload up to a distance of 45 km.

Author: Kaan Azman

Editor: Özgür Ekşi