RİGELSAN R&D Defence Security Technologies Inc., founded at HKU OSB Technopark by Hazar Altaş, a graduate of the Faculty of Engineering at Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) who is also continuing his master’s studies at our university, launched advanced technology solutions developed with domestic and national resources. During the programme, a total of three radar devices, two drones and one tactical vehicle were presented: the radar devices to be produced through the RİGELSAN–Lasersan collaboration, a tactical search and rescue vehicle designed for AFAD, and an FPV kamikaze drone.
TÜRKİYE IS AMONG THE WORLD’S TOP 10 COUNTRIES IN THE DEFENCE INDUSTRY
Gaziantep Deputy Governor Bülent Uygur stated that the city’s industry should now shift from textile-heavy production towards higher value-added technology products, and emphasised that this transformation is possible only through strong collaboration between universities and technoparks. Noting that Türkiye has joined the world’s top 10 countries through its investments in the defence industry over the last 10–15 years, Uygur said that OSB Technopark in Gaziantep, of which Hasan Kalyoncu University is also a partner, is among the key actors in this process.
OUR UNIVERSITY CONTINUES TO SUPPORT YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
In his speech at the programme, HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan highlighted the university’s approach of supporting an entrepreneurial culture, saying: “As Hasan Kalyoncu University, we regard supporting our students’ steps in research, development and entrepreneurship, alongside their academic success, as a fundamental duty. The domestic and national projects put forward by our graduate and master’s student Hazar Altaş, drawing on our university’s body of knowledge and the inspiring entrepreneurial environment provided by Gaziantep OSB Technopark, are the most concrete indicators of this approach.”
Küçükerdoğan emphasised RİGELSAN’s contribution to the national technology vision, noting that projects such as radar systems, the tactical search and rescue vehicle and the FPV kamikaze drone are of critical importance for disaster management and security operations.
UNIVERSITY–INDUSTRY COLLABORATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
Gaziantep Chamber of Industry President Adnan Ünverdi noted that the city is going through an important process of transformation. Emphasising that other technologies, together with the defence industry, must be integrated with science, Ünverdi said: “These two fields form an inseparable whole. For this reason, university–industry collaboration is more important than ever.”
THESE PROJECTS WERE DEVELOPED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DOMESTIC AND NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VISION
Speaking at the launch, HKU master’s student Hazar Altaş shared information about the development process of the projects and said: “The systems we are presenting here today are the result of R&D activities carried out through the development of the TÜBİTAK project we have been working on since 2023. Our aim is to strengthen Türkiye’s domestic and national capacity in the fields of defence, security and disaster management, and to reduce dependence on foreign sources in this area. Our collaboration with Lasersan Defence Industry on radar technologies will bring advanced technology to our country. Throughout this process, we have felt both the support of our university and the strong ecosystem offered by Gaziantep OSB Technopark at every stage.”
Altaş also stated that the FPV kamikaze drone they developed and the tactical search and rescue vehicle designed for AFAD aim to increase operational capability, saying: “Beyond being technical products, these projects are systems that will make life easier for people in the field, strengthen the hands of our security forces and offer critical solutions in disaster areas. I thank my university, all our academics, our R&D team and our business partners who supported us.”
NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY SUCCESS OF AN HKU GRADUATE
RİGELSAN, founded by Hazar Altaş, a graduate of HKU’s undergraduate programme and a current master’s student, and operating at Gaziantep OSB Technopark, carries out projects under the TÜBİTAK 1507 SME R&D Start-up Support Programme. One of these is a tethered drone system with an artificial intelligence-based power-line communication infrastructure; it stands out for being able to operate independently of base stations and jammer effects, staying airborne for 5–7 hours with uninterrupted power, and offering flight times of up to 72 hours when connected to the grid. The fibre-optic tethered FPV kamikaze drone, developed using the same infrastructure, can communicate and carry out missions at a range of 50 km.
As for radar devices, a collaboration was established between RİGELSAN and Lasersan Defence Industry. Under-rubble and through-wall radar systems will be developed by Lasersan, while operational processes in the eastern and south-eastern regions will be carried out by RİGELSAN.
The FPV kamikaze drone developed by RİGELSAN, the tactical search and rescue vehicle designed for AFAD and the radar projects carried out with Lasersan will make an important contribution to strengthening Türkiye’s domestic and national capacity in the fields of defence, security and disaster management.
The launch programme, held at Gaziantep OSB Technopark, which was established through a partnership between Gaziantep Organised Industrial Zone and Hasan Kalyoncu University, was attended by Gaziantep Deputy Governor Bülent Uygur, HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan, Deputy Provincial Gendarmerie Commanders Gendarmerie Colonel Ahmet Oğlakçı and Gendarmerie Colonel Mehmet Olcay Turan, Gaziantep Chamber of Industry President Adnan Ünverdi, Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce President Tuncay Yıldırım, HKU Secretary General Ümit Şahnaoğlu, HKU Dean of Research Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serkan Aracı, Gaziantep OSB Director Özer Özcan, KOSGEB Gaziantep Provincial Director Dr. Muhammed Paksoy, HKU OSB Technopark General Manager İpek Yardım, HKU Innovation and Technology Transfer Office (KALİTTO) Director Cengiz Helvacıkara, protocol representatives, technology entrepreneurs, sector stakeholders and members of the press.
