ISTANBUL — Turkish software developer Havelsan has unveiled its Barkan 3 unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and an AI-enabled combat management system that a company executive says will eventually work in swarms of dozens of robots — on the ground and in the air.
“We have done so far, some field trials. We did the mixed swarm, now we just started with eight units,” Havelsan Vice President for International Business Development and Marketing Sevket Unal told Breaking Defense Thursday after the Barkan 3 was shown at the SAHA defense expo here. “But the future, it will be tens of units — smaller, faster, high[ly] efficient systems … swarming in the vehicle segment or the UAV.”
The Barkan 3 on display at Havelsan’s area at SAHA was equipped with a 12.7 mm weapon system, and front-driving and ground-facing cameras. The company says it has a maximum speed of 25 kmph (15.5 mph) and that it can operate for five hours at full load. The UGV is the latest member of the Barkan family, the first of which was inducted into the Turkish military in 2023.
Compared to its two Barkan predecesors, “the shift [with Barkan 3] becomes more visible [in] what defines the system is no longer only what it carries, but how effectively it responds to changing conditions in the field,” Havelsan’s official announcement said.
