The National Combat Aircraft KAAN is being introduced at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia with TUSAŞ’s OKU (Autonomous Wingman Flight) concept through a digital and dynamic presentation.
The National Combat Aircraft KAAN appeared before international visitors at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most important defence industry events, with a new technology-supported presentation concept. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) is showcasing its products and capabilities at the Riyadh exhibition through digital and dynamic presentations.
THE DYNAMIC PRESENTATION ATTRACTED STRONG VISITOR INTEREST
While TUSAŞ had previously participated in defence industry exhibitions mainly with scaled and static models, this year it opted for a different method. At the exhibition, the OKU concept — consisting of KAAN and two ANKA III unmanned aerial vehicles — was presented to visitors through a dynamic, scenario-based display.
In the presentation synchronised with visuals on LED screens, KAAN and the ANKA III aircraft exit the hangar and carry out a strike mission accompanied by various manoeuvres. This innovative presentation attracted significant interest from international delegations and sector representatives.
OKU: TÜRKİYE’S MODEL OF MANNED-UNMANNED TEAMING
The OKU concept stands out as Türkiye’s counterpart to the Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) approach, which has become prominent in modern air warfare doctrines. The concept is based on piloted combat aircraft such as KAAN being able to operate in formation — as a “wing” — together with unmanned jets such as ANKA III.
DIGITAL STAND AND INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION
Through four touchscreen displays at its stand, TUSAŞ introduces its products to visitors in a digital environment. Visitors can:
- Access technical information about the platforms
- Conduct 360-degree virtual examinations
- Watch promotional videos
It was also reported that the same concept will be used this year at defence industry exhibitions in Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. TUSAŞ additionally plans to implement similar applications for the HÜRJET and GÖKBEY platforms.
DEMİROĞLU: “DIGITAL IS NOW VERY CLOSE TO REALITY”
TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu, speaking to Anadolu Agency during the exhibition, emphasised the importance of digitalisation in the defence industry.
Demiroğlu stated:
“The world is digitalising. Many things done digitally are now very close to reality. There is also the possibility of realising this within scenarios. We thought about how we could present our products more effectively, quickly and comprehensively, and such a concept emerged.
We aim to offer visiting guests tailor-made information packages according to their level of interest. You can do this digitally. Artificial intelligence will also be added to this after a while. We are appearing before you with this concept for the first time at this exhibition.”
