Since the outbreak of the Russia vs Ukraine war, it has directly affected shipping activities around the Black Sea. In addition to the blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russian warships, in the Black Sea, sea mines have also been discovered. I don't know who spread it, but the presence of sea mines is clearly a cause for concern, because it can interfere with shipping safety.
In terms of maritime mines, Turkey is the country with the loudest voice, because some of the mines, apart from being found in the Black Sea, have also drifted into the Bosphorus Strait, the strait in Turkey that separates Europe and Asia. There were mutual accusations about mines between Russia and Ukraine.
Seeing the conditions above, the Turkish Navy has carried out a large-scale mine sweep operation. In addition to deploying minesweeper ships, the Turkish Navy also uses drone services to scan large areas of the ocean. Quoted from Navalnews.com (30/5/2022), the Anka-S combat drone (UCAV) is fitted with MILSAR synthetic aperture and moving target indicator radar (SAR/MTI). MILSAR can scan large areas of the sea surface to take detailed images and enable real-time detection of drifting mines.
The MILSAR SAR/MTI radar was developed by Meteksan Defense as a Defense Industry Agency project integrated into the Turkish Navy's Anka-S drone. The Anka with the MILSAR SAR/MTI radar began carrying out mine detection operations in April.
With the adoption of MILSAR radar, Anka drones can act as "observation points" in the sky with long endurance, even capable of being used in bad weather conditions where the electro-optical system is generally ineffective, or when flying above clouds, where the detection sensor capability is decreased.
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| Conventional sea mines |
With the adoption of this technology, Turkey has become one of the few countries capable of detecting mines on the sea surface using radar technology from drones.
The synthetic aperture and moving target indicator radar is an important sensor for reconnaissance and reconnaissance aircraft from satellites because it can continuously provide high resolution images in weather conditions where electro-optical sensors are ineffective, such as fog/clouds.
With a sensor weight under 30 kg. The MILSAR SAR/MTI radar can detect and track moving targets on the ground in the target detection function, enabling high-resolution images of up to 30 centimeters regardless of distance, even when there is no sight.
Turkey has since early March 2022 closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits to warships amid the escalating war between Russia and Ukraine. All countries were asked not to deploy warships through the two waters.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu explained that based on the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey may restrict the transit of naval vessels of all countries passing through its strait during wartime.
Later, there were suspicions from Turkey that sea mines were deliberately spread as an excuse for a joint NATO operation to neutralize mines, as well as the entry of NATO warships into the Black Sea.
A glimpse of the Anka-S drone that was presented at Indo Defense 2018, carrying a PD170 turbopropeller engine with 150 HP power. As a MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone, the Anka-S can fly for 24 hours non-stop at an altitude of 9,200 meters above sea level.
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