TAI Martı
Radio-controlled surveillance drone named after the seagull.
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The TAI Martı is a radio-controlled surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle designed, developed and built by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in 2003. Its name is the Turkish word for 'seagull,' and it is part of a family of TAI-produced UAVs named after birds. The drone was originally produced for pilot training and has been in service since 2003.
Background
The TAI Martı features an all-composite airframe with a shoulder-wing design. It is propelled by either a 2-cylinder 2-stroke gasoline engine of type OS MAX 46 FXi from German company Graupner GmbH with 1.7 hp power, or a Zenoah G38 from Japan with 2.2 hp, both in tractor configuration. The drone carries a two-axis gimbaled EO/IR camera that relays video in real-time telemetry, and its guidance and tracking are fully autonomous based on an INS/GPS integrated waypoint navigation system. Takeoff can be accomplished conventionally on wheels or by catapult, and recovery on wheels or by parachute.
Originally produced for pilot training, the Martı entered service in 2003. The development of an aerial-photographic camera and studies for digital image analysis and retrieval were carried out in cooperation with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). In 2004, the Martı successfully completed testing in aerial image retrieval and shootings in Mersin, which led to the replacement of an older retrieval system that used balloons.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: TAI Martı (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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