Türkiye-Egypt unveil joint unmanned ground vehicle

CAIRO/ISTANBUL

Aqrab and Hamza-1, unmanned platforms developed by Turkish defense giant Havelsan through a local collaboration in Egypt, were unveiled for the first time at the EDEX 2025 Egypt Defense Fair in Cairo.

The platforms were produced in Egypt through cooperation between Havelsan and the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI).

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also visited and received information about the vehicles during his visit to the fair.

The Hamza-1, a vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle, attracted attention as one of the standout innovations at the fair.

Aqrab, an unmanned ground vehicle, was developed as a 6x6 platform capable of carrying a remote-controlled weapon system.

Şevket Ünal, vice president of international business development and marketing at Havelsan, said that Aqrab was designed to suit desert conditions in Egypt.

"During the same period, the Hamza-1 platform was also developed, in line with the work carried out in the field of autonomous systems," Ünal said.

He stated that after the fair, field demonstrations would be conducted for end users to collect feedback, and based on that input, the vehicles would be further developed and made ready for duty.

Stressing that Havelsan would contribute to the projects, particularly with its capabilities in command-and-control, artificial intelligence and autonomy, Unal noted: "We see Egypt as a gateway to Africa.

"We anticipate that the products developed here will also be offered to countries in the region."

He added that during the fair, they held meetings with participants from Egypt, various African countries and the Gulf region regarding Havelsan's capabilities in air, land, sea and simulation systems.