The drama of drone industry competition in the search for Iran's president

Iran and Türkiye are both important global drone suppliers. Their aircraft have been tested on various battlefields.

IRANIAN ARMY MEDIA OFFICE / AFP

One of Iran's drones was exhibited in Tehran in January 2024.

TEHERAN, THURSDAY — Industrial competition drone aircraft came to a head in the helicopter crash of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Iran denies that the Türkiye plane was the first to discover the crash site.

In a report on Wednesday (20/5/2024), the IRNA news agency said Akinci failed to find the accident site. "The Turkish aircraft did not have the necessary requirements to find the exact location of the helicopter wreckage," said a statement from the General Staff Office of Iran's Armed Forces.

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According to Tehran, Turkey's unmanned aircraft, Akinci, did indeed share the coordinates of the location suspected to be the helicopter crash site. However, the location disclosed by Turkey was 7 kilometers away from the accident location.

Iran acknowledged that Akinci is equipped with heat trackers and cameras for visibility in the dark. However, the aircraft is not equipped with equipment to see through fog or thick clouds like during the accident.

AFP/ATTA KENARE

Mourners in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday (22/5/2024), carried a photo of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Meanwhile, unmanned aircraft from Iran have that system. However, the Iranian plane arrived at the location later. This is because, at the time of the incident, the plane was patrolling on the coast of Iran around the Indian Ocean. Later, the aircraft was moved to the accident location and found the location on Monday morning.

Despite denying its role in the discovery, Tehran still acknowledges Ankara's role in the search process. Iran thanks Turkey, which is declared as one of the friendly countries. In addition to Turkey, the search also involves Russia and China.

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On early Monday (20/5/2024) morning, the Anadolu news agency reported that the Akinci plane was the first to discover the location. Akinci was said to have tracked an unusual hotspot in the Varzaghan forest. Later on, the hotspot was claimed to be the location where the helicopter carrying Raisi and several others crashed.

Ankara stated that Tehran requested assistance with the search shortly after news broke about Raisi's helicopter losing contact. The Iranian Ministry of Defense sent the request, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately approved. As a result, the Akinci was able to operate around the incident location only a few hours after the helicopter was reported missing.

Preparation took two hours before Akinci was flown to the location. The aircraft left Batman, a province in the eastern side of Turkey, heading towards the last reported location of the helicopter. The journey took 75 minutes.

On Monday dawn, Akinci identified an unusual hot spot. During the search process, Anadolu news agency continued to describe developments through social media. In total, nearly 6 million people monitored the search process through Anadolu's social media.

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On Monday morning, the plane returned to Turkey. On the way home, Akinci flew a route that formed a crescent and star. The route pattern is like a symbol on the Turkish flag.

Industry competition

Iran and Turkey are both important players in the global unmanned aircraft industry. Their products, among others, compete in the Ukrainian war. Russia uses Iranian aircraft while Ukraine, among others, uses Turkey's Bayraktar.

AP/IRANIAN ARMY MEDIA OFFICE

The Chief of the Iranian Army Staff, General Abdolrahim Mousavi (left) and the Iranian Defense Minister, Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, reviewed an aircraft exhibition in Tehran in January 2024.

Moscow-Tehran agreed in October 2022 on the sale of drones. At that time, Iran's Major Vice President Mohammed Mokhber was a negotiator. Now, Mokhber is acting President of Iran until elections are held in the next two months.

On a trip to Moscow in October 2022, Mokhber was accompanied by two senior officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and a National Security Council official. "Russia requested more unmanned aircraft and Iran's ballistic missiles with better accuracy, particularly Fateh and Zolfaghar missiles," said an Iranian diplomat who refused to be identified.

Also read: Spotlight on US Sanctions Behind Iranian President's Helicopter Crash

Meanwhile, in July 2023, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reached an agreement with Turkey's Baykar Makina. The essence of the agreement is for Baykar Makina to establish an unmanned aircraft maintenance workshop in Kyiv. The workshop has been under construction in the last few months.

For Nazmul Islam, exporting unmanned aircraft and various defense products from Turkey is not just a matter of weaponry. The Head of Turkey, Asia, and Indo-Pacific Studies at the Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (ULISA) called it an instrument of diplomatic, economic, and even humanitarian attraction.

AFP/BIROL BEBEK

Turkish-made Bayrakar drone in Northern Cyprus in December 2019.

The deployment of Akinci in the Iranian President's accident is not only about humanitarian solidarity. It is also part of Turkey's show of strength to the global community. Turkey has exerted its influence by deploying unmanned aircraft to Asia, Africa, and even Europe.

The Akinci used in the search for the Iranian President's helicopter is one of Baykar's products. Since August 2021, the aircraft has become one of Turkey's military tools. The aircraft can fly up to 40,000 feet with a 24-hour cruising time. (AFP / REUTERS / AP)