Turkey Strengthens Its Land Border That Challenges Around 3,000 Km In Unmanned Vehicles

Turkish military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Sgt. Patrik Orutt)

JAKARTA - Turkey has decided to strengthen its land border that stretches about 3,000 kilometers, given its position located between Asia and Europe, has become a popular destination for illegal immigrants, to anticipate terrorist threats.

With the motto "Borders Are Honorary", Turkey decided to take advantage of technology to protect its borders. Apart from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Turkey has also started using unmanned land vehicles (UGVs) to prevent illegal crossings to the country, according to a report by the Turkish newspaper Sabah.

UGV joins Turkey's growing security forces for border security, ranging from electro-optical surveillance towers to thermal cameras and sound warning systems, as well as systems to detect illegal crossing underground tunnels.

The border has a series of conventional actions, ranging from trenches to fences, which are currently surrounded by high-tech measures, especially radar and sensors. The Army Command Operations Center, based in the capital, Ankara, also has access to the system.

National Defense Ministry Press and Public Relations adviser Brigadier General Zeki Aktörk said at a press conference last week about 364 people, including nine terrorists, were arrested in the past week as they tried to cross into Turkey while another 2,264 were prevented from crossing the border.

"Security forces have arrested 3,133 people who have tried to cross into Turkey since January 1 illegally and 50,860 others have been prevented from crossing the border in the same period," he said, citing Daily Sabah May 6.

Turkey's two domestically made UGVs, Barkan and Kapgan, are being integrated with Acar's ground surveillance radar produced by Aselsan and PTR-X's Retinar perimeter surveillance radar produced by Meteksan to detect illegal crossings instantly.

Kapgan, produced by Havelsan, offers superior maneuverability thanks to its wheel structure, enabling operation in all weather and terrain conditions as well as different visibility levels. In addition, the vehicle platform is equipped with an interface to carry additional loads when needed, making it an ideal solution for tactical operations.

Thanks to the Havelsan Autonomy Package, Kapgan is designed to be resistant to electronic warfare (EW) with its autonomous patrol capabilities, implementation of missions that do not depend on GPS, planning dynamic routes, functionality going home if there is a loss of links, and path analysis. This package makes Kapgan a reliable solution in various operational scenarios.

With a 5-kilometer tactical data link, GSM communications infrastructure and satellites, a 4 meter (13 ft) perimeter surveillance pole and a high-tech sensor system, Kapgan provides day and night vision and sensing capabilities for his environment.

In addition, the vehicle is integrated with a wired or wireless drone that acts as a relay if its range is insufficient, ensuring communication is not cut off through an integrated modem of drones and an invisible monitoring area.

This feature improves vehicle surveillance, reconnaissance and operational capabilities. Kapgan is developed with the implementation of hybrid/swarm digital unitary missions, providing effective solutions against asymmetric threats, automatic target tracking, residential, reconnaissance, surveillance, patrol, and tactical transfer operations.

It is known that those who managed to infiltrate Turkey often headed to the country's western land border to cross into Europe or the country's Aegean coast. On the eastern border, Turkey strengthened the concrete wall with more precast concrete beams and troops.