Turkish Bayratkar TB2 Drones Equipped with Locally-made Electro-Optical Targeting Pods

The Turkish Land Forces Command have taken delivery of new Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) equipped with Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS).

The Aselsan-developed Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS) is a high-performance electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system designed for fixed-wing and rotary-wing airborne platforms, including unmanned air systems (UASs), helicopters and aircraft.

CATS replaces the previously used electro-optic systems purchased from abroad. The development comes at the heels of foreign embargoes by the likes of Canada to Turkey after the latter supplied equipment to the Azerbaijani military forces while fighting in the Armenian-occupied and internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.