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Songar Drones
What are Turkish Songar drones, used by Pak to attack India?
Context:
India on Friday (9 May) accused Pakistan of attempting a coordinated drone incursion targeting 36 military and civilian sites during the intervening night of May 8 and May 9. The drones used in the attempted intrusion are suspected to be Turkish-made Asisguard Songar drones, according to preliminary investigations.
What Are Songar Drones?
- The Songar drones are manufactured by Asisguard, a Turkish defence firm, and represent Turkey’s first indigenous armed drone system.
- The drones were first launched in April 2019 and were delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces following successful trials in February 2020.
- These drones are classified as portable unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with a rotor-to-rotor width of 140 cm and a maximum take-off weight of 45 kg.
- Without a payload, the drone is capable of a flight time of approximately 35 minutes.
- Designed for both day and night operations, the drones can reach an altitude of up to 3,000 metres above mean sea level and 300 metres above ground level.
- They operate effectively within a 5 km range and transmit real-time video back to operators.
- Each unit is equipped with a surveillance camera and a weapon-mounted camera and offers both manual and autonomous flight modes.
- A critical feature is its “return home” capability in case of communication loss, and it uses both GPS and GLONASS systems for navigation.
Weaponisation and Tactical Features
- The Songar drones come in multiple configurations, depending on the weapon system mounted. According to Asisguard’s official product information, five main variants are available:
- Songar 5.56×45 mm Assault Rifle: Uses NATO-standard 5.56×45 mm cartridges and is equipped with a recoil-damping mechanism to maintain drone stability while firing.
- Songar 2×40 mm Grenade Launcher: Can target areas up to 450 metres away.
- Songar 6×40 mm Drum-Type Grenade Launcher: Can fire six grenades in succession, offering greater firepower in a single mission.
- Songar 3×81 mm Mortar Gripper
- Songar 8×Tear/Smoke Grenade Launcher: Carries up to eight canisters and uses controlled descent to impact targets directly.
- All Songar models include multi-layered firing safety protocols that ensure weapons can only be discharged with operator authorisation.
Strategic Applications
- Stealth deployment: Allows surprise attacks without revealing operator location.
- Coordinated attack potential: Can be used with troops, other drones, or ground assets.
- Reconnaissance and surveillance: Offers real-time battlefield intelligence.
- Suitable for:
- Land and maritime operations
- Special operations missions
