Turkish Fly BVLOS Technology introduces an armed version of the Jackal UAV, that it has developed entirely with equity capital in Turkey and exported to the UK on April 25, 2022.
Jackal, which made its first test fire with Thales' LMM (Lightweight Multirole Missile) in the UK in October 2022, received full marks from British engineers, defense industry personnel and military experts who participated in the test. Fly X Technology, which is part of Fly BVLOS Technology, announced that the development and testing processes of Jackal's both UAV and UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) versions continue in line with the official request of the British Ministry of Defence.
The process of transforming Jackal into a UCAV
After the Jackal, whose design and all other rights are fully owned by Fly BVLOSTechnology, was exported to the UK, the UK Ministry of Defence made a request to our business partner in the UK, Flyby Technology Company CEO Mr. Jon Parker, to convert the Jackal into a UCAV. The Ministry of Defence requested support in an official letter from Fly BVLOS Technology in order to support the aforementioned UCAV transformation.
Fly X Joint Stock Company, which includes Fly BVLOS Technology, started the operation of the Jackal UCAV version together with our business partner in England, Flyby Technology Company, which took the task after the request of the British Ministry of Defence to convert the Jackal to a UCAV.
After the changes made in its design and technical features, Jackal, which was transformed into a UCAV with the participation of the technical team of THALES UK under the leadership of Chief Engineers Mr. Y. Orkut Aktaş and Mr. A. Fehmi Özcan, carried out its first missile test fire in England in October 2022.
While the test shots of the Jackal UCAV are ongoing, the development process of the aircraft continues.
Evaluations made by the authorities after the successful test firing;
Air Commodore Jez Holmes, Head of the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office, said “Given the impressively short time scale it took the team to deliver the initial trial, it’s clear that Flyby could have an exciting future in this sector, and the partnering and support from Thales was outstanding in lowering the barriers to entry for innovative start-ups. I’m looking forward to seeing the ongoing developments in this area.”
Murat Islıoğlu, Fly BVLOS Technology: “With the right investment and management, I was very pleased that JACKAL, which reached its first flight from its conceptual design in four months, was converted into a UCAV version in a very short time by our engineers in line with the demand from the customer, and a successful live fire was subsequently performed. As I always say, "speed in the air is peace". Thank you Jackal team…”
Jon Parker, Flyby Technology, said: “War is about winning, and JACKAL is designed by war fighters for that ultimate aim. The days of having a Fighter Pilot in the cockpit are numbered and I realise I will not perhaps be loved for bringing about the end of my own kind. But the future of warfare is changing, and JACKAL is part of that future as a true multi-role attack aircraft. We want to make JACKAL a flagship product, creating secure UK jobs and contributing to a new future for the British aerospace and defence industries.”
Orkut Aktaş, Maxwell Innovations: “Small in size, modular, efficient and durable; The Jackal UAV is designed to fill a critical position in the future unmanned air force concept. It is an exciting development that the defense and aerospace giant Thales has achieved such a success in a very limited time by working with agile and innovative start-ups Maxwell Innovations, Flybvlos Technology, Flyby Technolgy in order to overcome the biggest challenges in the warfare environment with an innovative approach. We see that Turkish-made UAV systems have radically changed the war environment around the world in recent years. The next step of this change will be the Jackal system, which is being developed in Turkish-British partnership. The agility of start-ups and the experiences of technology giants come together and open the doors of a new era.”
Philip McBride, Managing Director of Thales in Northern Ireland, said: “One of the unique selling points of LMM is its ability to be integrated onto multiple platforms, including armoured vehicles, helicopters, naval vessels or indeed, shoulder-launchers, each designed to address different threats. It has been a privilege to work with the Flyby team on this time-compressed and ground-breaking trial and has proved that both Thales and Flyby can produce impressive and agile results when focussed on a collective, shared objective.”
Missile used by the Jackal UCAV
Upon UK’s request Jackal UCAV made its first test fire with Thales made LMM missile.
The LMM missile, weighing 13 kg with a length of 1.3 m and a range of 6 km, can detect target distance with a laser range finder.
Thanks to its adaptable design and hardware, Jackal can be adapted to different missiles in software and hardware in a short time.
Fly X Corporation has been in talks with Taiwan for a long time on technology transfers related to chip technology, electro-optical sensors, guidance systems and aviation industry. In a very short time, it is on the company’s agenda to establish a company in Taiwan and to open an R&D Office.
Jackal's Development Process
Jackal’s R&D and design started in January 2022 at Dronepark located in Gebze Technical University Technopark. The UAV made its first flight four months after the first conceptual design meeting with Fly BVLOS Technology General Manager Mr. Murat Islıoğlu, Flyby Technology CEO Mr. Jon Parker, Maxwell Innovations CEO Engineer Mr. Y Orkut Aktaş and CTO Mr. Fehmi Özcan, on 20 April 2022 at Gebze Technical University Dronepark. Jackal, a first in Turkey with EDF engines, successfully performed its first demo flight for the Turkish Armed Forces in Ankara in April 2022. Jackal managed to impress the audience by staying in the air for about 40 minutes on this first flight.
Managing to attract the attention of many countries in a short time, a sales contract was signed within the scope of exporting the first 5 Jackal Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to the UK at a ceremony held in Dronepark on April 25, 2022.
The development and testing of Jackal are currently continuing at the UAV Test Center in Ankara/Kalecik.
Technical Specifications of Jackal
Jackal, which can take off and land vertically with 8 engines, can reach high speeds with 4 EDF engines on it. The Jackal can carry a load of 15 kilograms and reach a range of 100** kilometers. New versions are planned with an aim to increase the payload and range capacity.
Areas where Jackal UAV and Jackal UCAV will be used
Jackal can be used in cargo and logistics services in the aviation industry. Jackal is planned to be able to fly over the sea in adverse weather conditions. Thanks to its VTOL feature, Jackal can land and take off in any landing zone without the need for a runway. Jackal is planned to be used in areas such as cargo handling, humanitarian aid, natural disasters, monitoring and observation, sensitive data logistics in harsh weather conditions.
The Jackal UCAV will be used for close air support and defense of military facilities, critical government institutions, bridges and airports. It will be able to provide instant air support to combat units in the battlefield and will also undertake the task of point air defense and air support in dangerous areas.
Fly Bvlos Technology
Fly BVLOS Technology was established as a Turkish company in 2019 in Dronepark in the Gebze Technical University Technopark campus and provides both a contribution to national production and added value to the country's economy with the concept of exporting UAV production and International UAV pilot training.
Fly BVLOS Technology provides certified training in the international BVLOS standard for the first time in Turkey in the UAV-2 category and also provides UAV flight services to domestic and international companies and institutions.
