Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) achieved significant success at the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Competition held in Malatya as part of TEKNOFEST 2026, the world’s largest aviation, space and technology festival. The HKU TEKNOGARAJ Viento Team, comprising students from the Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Faculty of Engineering, won first place in the International Fixed-Wing UAV Category and also received the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) Special Award.
In the competition, which attracted 6,463 participants and saw 113 teams qualify for the finals, the HKU TEKNOGARAJ Viento Team, supported by HKU and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, successfully completed all assigned missions. Using an unmanned aerial vehicle developed through their own design, production, testing and flight processes, the team completed the competition’s challenging tasks without error. Combining technical knowledge and engineering skills with strong teamwork, the students drew attention with their performance throughout the competition.
HKU Students Crowned Champions for the Second Consecutive Year
HKU students continued their championship tradition at TEKNOFEST with another major achievement this year. At TEKNOFEST 2025, the Viento UAV Team had won first place in the International Fixed-Wing UAV Category and also received the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) Special Award. At TEKNOFEST 2026, the HKU TEKNOGARAJ Viento Team once again secured first place in the same category and claimed the TUSAŞ Special Award for a second time. With this achievement, HKU students became champions of the International Fixed-Wing UAV Category and recipients of the TUSAŞ Special Award for two consecutive years.
We Attach Great Importance to Raising Young People Who Produce and Innovate
Commenting on the success of the HKU TEKNOGARAJ Viento Team, HKU Rector Prof. Dr Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan said:
“We consider platforms such as TEKNOFEST, where our students are able to transform their knowledge and competencies into real-world projects, to be extremely valuable. We attach great importance to raising students in the fields of aviation, space and engineering as young people who work with an interdisciplinary approach, produce, innovate and contribute to our country’s technological advancement. Through the Kalyon Garaj Prototyping and Entrepreneurship Centre, KALİTTO and OSB Technopark, we provide our students with strong infrastructure and mentoring support throughout their project development processes. The success achieved by our HKU TEKNOGARAJ Viento Team is also an important reflection of sustained effort and strong team spirit. I wholeheartedly congratulate all members of our team and the academics who contributed to this achievement.”
Advised by Prof. Dr M. Fatih Hasoğlu, Dean of the HKU Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the HKU TEKNOGARAJ Viento Team is led by Team Captain Irmak Dağlı and comprises Elif Dönmez, Burak Kayar, Sude Yılmaz and Ömer Eren Özoğlu.
The team members were presented with the first-place award in the International Fixed-Wing UAV Category and the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) Special Award by Malatya Governor Seddar Yavuz and TÜBİTAK Vice President Prof. Dr Mesut Güner.
