Hungarian specialist media have used social media channels to disseminate photos of a Vestel Karayel-SU drone, which apparently underwent roll tests and later also flight tests at the Pápa air force base in western Hungary. Already in the spring, the commissioner for armaments affairs, Gáspár Maróth, had emphasized the importance of armed drones (UAV) for the Hungarian armaments program Zrinyi 2026 in several statements. The tests that have now been carried out seem to be a further step towards procurement.
Vestel Defense Industry, which belongs to the Turkish electronics group Vestel, has been developing unmanned aerial systems since 2003 and presented the first version of the Karayel drone in 2014. The focus of the development was a triple redundant operating system, which achieves a high level of operational reliability. In addition, the aircraft meets STANAG 4671, which regulates the aeronautical requirements for a UAV. The drone observed in Pápa conforms to the upgraded Karayel-SU standard, which is a full-fledged armed version. The SU version features a larger span of 13 m and an increased and diversified external load. With a top speed of around 150 km/h and a maximum take-off weight of 630 kg, the UAV is able to carry a load of 130 kg. The weapon systems integrated include the UMTAS anti-tank guided missile and the low-cost laser-guided 70 mm Cirit missile from the Turkish manufacturer Roketsan.
Even if there is still no official confirmation from the Hungarian armed forces, the current tests are likely to be at an advanced stage. So said Balázs Trautmann, the manager of the Hungarian trade magazineAranysas, speaking to European Security and Technology, that the flights now taking place are in direct line with the national defense strategy published by the government.
According to Trautmann, it shows the creation of a UAV capability at a tactical, operational and even strategic level. The expert also commented on a possible stationing location. The Pápa base currently used for testing, which serves NATO as the basis of a C-17A task force for Strategic Airlift Capability, is well developed, but fully utilized for this role. According to reports, a currently unused airfield should be reactivated instead. A likely candidate, according to Trautmann, could be the Taszár airbase in western Hungary, which was the first NATO base on former Warsaw Pact territory and played a prominent role during the Balkan conflict.
In the past, the Vestel Karayel has been much less in focus than the TB-2 drone from the Turkish manufacturer Baykar Technologies, for which the NATO country Poland has already decided this year and Latvia has also expressed strong interest. However, observers of Hungarian armaments development are not surprised by the testing of the Karayel-SU. According to reports, Hungarian experts already visited the manufacturer Vestel Defense Industry in the spring, which recently presented itself with the Karayel-SU drone at the armaments show at the Kecskemét airfield at the beginning of August.
Kristof Nagy
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