Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died after his helicopter made a hard landing on the return journey from a dam inauguration ceremony near the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Search and rescue teams faced significant challenges due to adverse weather conditions. Iran requested drone support from Turkey for the search operations.
Role of the Akıncı UAV
Turkey deployed the Akıncı UAV, which identified a heat source potentially indicating the helicopter wreckage and relayed the coordinates to Iranian authorities. This critical task facilitated the swift location of the crash site.
Interest on Flightradar24
The flight of the Akıncı UAV attracted significant attention on the live air traffic tracking website Flightradar24. The site stated on social media, “The Turkish UAV searching for the crashed helicopter in Iran was the most-watched flight last night, with approximately 2.8 million users following it.” This demonstrates the global interest in the UAV’s activities and the incident.
Technical Features and Search and Rescue Capabilities of the Akıncı UAV
- Thermal Camera: Can detect heat sources even in night or adverse weather conditions.
- Endurance: Capable of continuous operation for 24 hours.
- High Altitude: Can reach up to 13,000 meters, providing a wide field of view and range for effective search and rescue operations.
- Speed and Coordination: Flies at a speed of 375-400 kilometers per hour, enabling rapid response in emergencies.
Search and Rescue Operation by Bayraktar Akıncı
Timeline of the Operation
- 20:00: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested a night-vision search and rescue helicopter from the Ministry of National Defense (MSB), which proposed deploying a UAV instead.
- 20:30: With approval from Iranian authorities, the MSB instructed the General Staff to prepare.
- 22:30: An armed Bayraktar Akıncı, already in flight, was assigned the search and rescue mission but was denied border crossing due to its armament.
- 23:18: An unarmed Bayraktar Akıncı took off from Batman.
- 00:13: Crossed the border from the Van region.
- 00:45: Reached the target area at an altitude of 31,000 feet.
- 02:22: Descended gradually to 9,000 feet due to poor weather conditions and detected the first heat source.
- 02:37: Began sharing UAV imagery with Iranian authorities.
- 04:30: Iranian search and rescue teams arrived at the site.
- 05:46: Iranian teams reached the helicopter wreckage.
- 05:50: Iranian authorities requested the Bayraktar Akıncı to leave the airspace to allow other aircraft access.
- 06:01: Began ascent and return journey.
- 06:45: Crossed back into domestic airspace.
Operation Details
The search and rescue operation conducted by Bayraktar Akıncı faced severe weather conditions, including winds up to 160 km/h, rain, clouds, fog, storms, and rugged mountainous terrain. The UAV flew as low as 300 feet (approximately 100 meters) to capture images and locate the wreckage.
During the mission, the UAV operated below the cloud level and flew around 9,000 feet in deep valleys. The critical mission was commanded via satellite communication using the TÜRKSAT satellite, with live imagery shared through the TSK Command Center. The UAV performed search and rescue flights for about 7.5 hours in the target area, covering a total of 2,100 km.
This operation highlighted the crucial role of unmanned aerial vehicles in search and rescue missions and showcased Turkey’s capabilities in this field.
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