At the Boran-8 International Sniper Competition organized by the Gendarmerie General Command in the Foça district of Izmir, various solutions developed within the Turkish defense industry against current threats were exhibited and talent demonstrations were held.
Within the scope of the competition, where participation from 19 friendly and allied countries took place at the Foça Gendarmerie Commando Training Command Retired Gendarmerie Colonel Mehmet Remzi Kızılsu Firing Range, the "Drone Shield", developed under the leadership of ammunition manufacturer Turaç, with the contribution of four Turkish companies working in the fields of ammunition, rifles, robotics, mechanical engineering, algorithm and electro-optics, and a university, was also showcased.
Combining two semi-automatic rifles firing 12-gauge anti-drone ammunition in an autonomous robotic tower, the "Drone Shield" scans the target with different types of sensors and follows it from 600-800 meters, destroying it with the metal cloud it creates with simultaneous shooting at 150 meters.
"Drone Shield" autonomously detected and hit a representative target flown by a drone on the vehicle into which it was integrated within the scope of the sniper competition. The technical team involved in the development of the system gave information to the delegations about the solution and answered their questions after the field demonstrations.
"We are constantly adding something to it."
Turaç General Manager Fatih Altunbaş told the AA correspondent that they participated in the eighth event by constantly improving themselves.
Explaining that they established a practical shooting track within the scope of the event, Altunbaş stated that they showcased both 9 mm and 5.56 frangible ammunition there. Altunbaş also stated that they demonstrated a 12-gauge frangible ammunition they developed for breaking door locks in the course.
Stating that they introduced the "Drone Shield", which they recently announced, for the first time in this competition and that they are trying to raise awareness, Altunbaş said:
"Our Drone Shield can engage the targets very easily and take them down. We have improved the system further over the past period. You will observe that it is much better than the previous one, that it can react much faster, engage and hit the targets.
With this event, we came out of our own shell or comfort zone, our factory. We are exhibiting our product in the Sniper Competition. Everyone asks the date for the complete completion of our product. When will it happen? When will it end? Our product is still a prototype, but we want to start mass production very soon. The date we set for this is the end of the year. We will have tests in November. In each test, we detect something missing in the display. Accordingly, our friends are working. "We are constantly adding to it with our project partners."
"The interest we have received encourages us"
Altunbaş said that after introducing the "Drone Shield", they received reactions far beyond their expectations and that they held meetings with delegations from different parts of the world.
Emphasizing that they aim to turn these negotiations into contracts and exports as soon as possible, Altunbaş noted the following regarding the reactions of the delegations that watched the talent demonstration:
"I personally dealt with 2-3 of the delegations. There was a delegation from Belgium and Hungary. I met with them. As soon as they see the product, they look at it with astonishment. Nobody says, 'Yes, we have this, we have it in our country too, or so-and-so made it, I saw it.' No one can compare whether it is better or worse than this. Because this is the first time they encounter something like this.
We always say this: Drones fitted with bombs and sent via fiber optic cable are the newest threat. This is the newest solution to the newest threat. If there is a threat, there is also a solution. Frankly, it encourages us that foreigners are discussing with us, "How does this work, how much business does it do in our country?" without comparing it to anything. So the next market is empty. "I think there is room for us too."
