Azerbaijan has reached a preliminary agreement with Turkiye on the purchase of the BARKAN unmanned ground combat vehicle, Veysel Ataoğlu, the project manager of Turkiye's HAVELSAN company, told Report.
According to Veysel Ataoğlu, negotiations between the two countries were held within the framework of the SAHA EXPO 2022 defense, aerospace and space industry exhibition held in Istanbul: "In the near future, the BARKAN ground combat vehicle will be included in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan."
The BARKAN unmanned vehicle, produced by the Turkish HAVELSAN company and weighing 380 kg, is capable of carrying or towing loads, providing close protection, armed reconnaissance, and detonating mines and unexploded ordnance. The first sample of BARKAN was produced in March-April 2022 and then successfully tested by the Turkish Armed Forces.
On October 25, SAHA EXPO 2022 defense, aerospace and space industry exhibition started in Istanbul with the participation of 876 companies and 24 universities. Azerbaijan is represented by a delegation led by Minister of Defense Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and Minister of Defense Industry Madat Guliyev.