Turkey’s military drones will bring machine guns to the air

They may be mostly considered today as annoying toys but the origin of drones can hardly be considered innocent. Originally used to describe unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs the size or small planes, drones have become even smaller to the point that consumers could take them around for entertainment or professional photography use. Armed forces around the world, however, are using the same advancement in drone technology to improve their original purpose. Turkey, however, maybe literally taking that to new heights with a drone that comes bearing arms.

Military drones can already be used to drop destructive objects like bombs or deliver both helpful and harmful packages. The flying and shooting drones of action or sci-fi movies, however, were only the stuff of fiction, at least until Turkey’s Songar came along.

Firing a gun, much less a machine gun, in mid-air is complicated for a drone that has to keep itself hovering in the same spot or lose its target. Songar drone developer Asisguard tries to offset the effects of physics but using multiple sensors to keep the drone locked onto its target. The robot vehicle is also equipped with a robot arm that moves to counteract the effects of gun recoil.

It may be shocking to those used to see drones used for less violent, even if illegal, purposes but Asisguard could be delivering one of the holy grails of the military drone industry. That naturally causes fear and concern among other forces that the company’s technology could be compromised and copied.

Just as they have become a nuisance to some people, drones are becoming increasingly problematic for the military as well. Each is developing their own systems for taking down such flying bearers of doom. Given this new development, invisible anti-drone laser systems may no longer seem so frivolous, or expensive, after all.