Quicksplained: How Turkey's Bayraktar Akinci drone helped in detecting the wreckage of Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter

The helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president and foreign minister has sent shock waves around the region.

Iranian state media said on Monday that President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and others have been found dead at the site after an hours-long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.

Early on Monday, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be wreckage of a helicopter.”

The coordinates listed in the footage of the fire are some 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.

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Shortly after, state TV in an on-screen scrolling text, said, “There is no sign of life from people on board.”

Here’s all we know about the drone that detected the wreckage of the chopper.

The Bayraktar Akıncı

• The sophisticated unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) known as the Bayraktar Akıncı is created by the Turkish defence company Baykar.

• “The Bayrakhtar Akıncı is a strategic class platform that can carry various payloads with its unique fuselage and wing design,” says the defence company.

• The drone aims to offer a strong and adaptable platform for many military applications and signifies a major advancement in Turkey’s drone technology capabilities, as per Times Now.

• The Bayraktar Akıncı is equipped with two turboprop engines and an impressive 20-metre wingspan, giving it the strength and endurance needed for extended operations.

• Strength and weight are meticulously matched due to the airframe’s construction using modern composite materials.

• The drone, one of the most powerful UAVs in its class, has a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilogrammes and can reach heights of up to 40,000 feet, according to the company’s website.

• Radiators, various weapon systems, and electro-optical/infrared cameras are just a few of the many payloads that the Akıncı may carry.

• The Bayraktar Akıncı is not only a surveillance platform but also a formidable combat drone, the report says.

• It can carry multiple precision-guided arms, including air-to-ground missiles, smart micromunitions, and laser-guided bombs.

• In modern warfare, the Akıncı is a versatile tool that may be used for close air support, battlefield interdiction, and the suppression of enemy air defences.

• The drone has two artificial intelligence avionics that provide real-time situation awareness, sensor fusion, and signal processing.

• This makes it possible for the drone to complete tough tasks with little help from humans, as per Times Now.

• Along with these advanced avionics, the Akıncı is equipped with several kinds of sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, electronic warfare capabilities, and satellite communication systems.

With inputs from agencies