In Turkey, HAVELSAN has announced the commencement of series production of the autonomous ground vehicle UGV BARKAN Level 1, which has seen significant improvements in its operational capabilities after being employed in the field since 2023.
Thanks to the integration of various payloads, BARKAN has demonstrated positive results in operational zones.
To support mass production, HAVELSAN has expanded its project team and involved new competent subcontractors.
Development process management happens in collaboration with platform subcontractors and in-house for software, the company’s area of expertise.
Use of technological simulations helped make BARKAN a high-performance vehicle well equipped in its category, with constantly improving operational performances.
Characteristics of BARKAN
BARKAN achieves a top speed of 13 km/s, it is 1.8 meters long, 1.25 meters wide, and 1 meter high. The UGV weighs 750 kg unloaded; it can carry a payload from 200 to 600 kg. It is fully electrically powered which facilitates its use in ISR missions, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; its autonomy is around five hours.
There is a provision for the UGV to return to the starting point in case of radio link loss with the operator. The UGV is capable of avoiding obstacles and selecting as well as planning paths.
BARKAN can be armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun or an automatic 40 mm grenade launcher when used for armed surveillance. HAVELSAN’s UGV can be used as a ‘mule’ for logistical tasks, to evacuate those wounded who are unable to walk, for mine clearance operations with a suitable robotic arm, and for decontamination operations in CBRN disposition.
Source and photo credit @HAVELSAN
