Stung by the federal government's decision to ban the export of state-of-the-art Canadian drone optics and targeting systems to Turkey, the country's largest drone producer says Turkish arms manufacturers have developed their own technology and no longer need the Canadian devices. These WESCAM pods for their drones are really, really important. Chris Kilford, a defence and security expert and a former Canadian defence attaché in Turkey, said there's no question the Canadian ban has upset Ankara. It tells you that these WESCAM pods for their drones are really, really important. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)Kilford said the optical sensor and targeting system pod developed by Turkish arms manufacturer ASELSAN is reportedly about 20 kilograms heavier than WESCAM's MX-15 pod installed on the Bayraktar TB2s.

Source: CBC News April 21, 2021 19:27 UTC