“TAF Welcomes HAVELSAN’s Cutting-Edge Unmanned Ground Vehicle: Meet Barkan!”

HAVELSAN, which has been supporting the defense forces for numerous years with its software solutions, has introduced its inaugural product— in terms of an operational framework— to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) arsenal! In this regard, BARKAN I and BARKAN II are now accessible for the utilization of the security personnel, which will bolster their capabilities across various domains.

HAVELSAN’s Director of Product Development and Manufacturing, Veysel Ataoğlu, mentioned that their initiatives in robotics and autonomous vehicle systems commenced with the BARKAN I, and they have been executing testing operations in the field for nearly two years.

Indicating that they unveiled the BARKAN II vehicle by incorporating user insights into the platform during this period; it is noted that this vehicle boasts enhanced agility, its mass has nearly doubled, it can accommodate heavyweight weaponry, and HAVELSAN has performed tests using a 12.7 millimeter weapon system. HAVELSAN plans to further diversify these payloads and will conduct trials with 40 millimeter grenade launchers, along with both METE and various missile types. With BARKAN II now part of the inventory, TAF will soon assess it in the field and across diverse geographical locations. HAVELSAN will monitor these developments closely while diligently continuing its enhancements.

HAVELSAN’s BARKAN II was showcased at several international exhibitions and under the scope of IDEF’23, numerous discussions regarding BARKAN II were conducted with key decision-makers. The extensive efforts to export HAVELSAN’s advanced technological vehicles are coordinated by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Defence Industry Agency.