TUSAŞ CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu stated that a new kamikaze UAV and helicopter project will be unveiled in May 2026 at the SAHA EXPO 2026 defence exhibition.
TUSAŞ’s CEO, speaking to TRT News at World Defence Show 2026, stated that SAHA EXPO 2026, to be held at the beginning of May, will be a scene for TUSAŞ’s new projects. Mehmet Demiroğlu gave a summary of what can be expected from the upcoming exhibition by saying:
“We are planning to exhibit a few products in the kamikaze UAV category. Time will tell if it will be all of it or some of it. Also, we will be announcing new products -both manned and unmanned- in the helicopter category for the first time.”
Previously, a trademark “AYAZ Kamikaze Jet UAV” was spotted on the website of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, which is an entity of the Ministry of Industry and Technology. On the same website, another name, ATLAS, has also been seen with the context remaining unclear.
TUSAŞ’s Works in Kamikaze UAVs from ŞİMŞEK to AYAZ
TUSAŞ’s journey in kamikaze UAVs started with a modification of the legacy ŞİMŞEK turbojet-powered target UAV by fitting a warhead and possibly MITL guidance. ŞİMŞEK can be launched by catapult or UAVs.
Following ŞİMŞEK, two more UAVs followed as SÜPER ŞİMŞEK and ŞİMŞEK-K.
SÜPER ŞİMŞEK, which will act as a multi-role air-launched UAV for other UAVs (ANKA, AKSUNGUR, ANKA-III), can be fitted to act as a cruise missile in several configurations, such as pure GNSS/INS guidance or seeker-supported guidance (RF or IIR).
ŞİMŞEK-K, which is a more refined and flexible successor to ŞİMŞEK, can similarly be fitted with a warhead and reach a range of 500 km with GNSS/INS guidance. Alongside higher performance, ŞİMŞEK-K also supports RATO launch.
However, all three of these UAVs are not solely meant to be kamikaze UAVs due to their design. Thus, TUSAŞ has launched the development of AYAZ as a dedicated design. The specifications of AYAZ are yet to be seen.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
