Turkish military officially accepts BAHA ‘sub-cloud’ drone into service
The UAV is pitched as a “sub-cloud” middle option, between smaller tactical UAVs and larger, long-range systems.
Havelsan’s BAHA unmanned aerial vehicle, shown here in promotional material. (Havelsan handout)
BEIRUT — The BAHA unmanned aerial vehicle has “officially” entered the inventory of the Turkish military, drone-make Havelsan said today in a press release.
BAHA is a “sub-cloud” surveillance drone, expected to be integrated in Havelsan’s “Digital Troops” concept, which envisions Turkish armed forces modernization efforts through a network of unmanned systems [land, air and naval platforms] aiding the troops of the future. Sub-cloud refers to the drone’s altitude beneath cloud cover at low to medium altitudes.
It’s pitched as a middle option, between smaller tactical UAVs and larger, long-range systems. A company official told Breaking Defense that kind of presence is critical for “tactical-level missions, where real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) are essential in environments such as urban, mountainous, or forested areas.”
The firm said in its statement that the UAV has achieved “export successes in Africa, Central Asia, and the MENA region in 2023 and 2024 and has now been made available for use by national security forces.”
“With our domestically developed defense industry products, which aim to enhance our national and international power and influence, the capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces continue to grow day by day. In this context, inspection and acceptance procedures for the [BAHA] procured by the Land Forces Command have been completed, and the systems have been inducted into our inventory,” said Turkish Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk at the Ministry of National Defense’s weekly press briefing.
In 2021 a number of BAHA UAV prototypes were initially delivered for Turkish armed forces for testing and evaluation, but only now the UAV’s have been introduced in full-scale and formal induction into the military inventory.
Designed for day and night surveillance missions, BAHA UAV is capable of vertical take-off and landing and can be equipped with “various mission-specific sensors” can can perform joint operations with other UAV’s, according to the firm’s announcement.
Havelsan is also targeting export options for its platforms and in March this year inked a deal with Egypt’s Kader Factory to produce its unmanned vehicles in Egypt.
