VTOL drone Gökhun: Esen relies on two-stroke engine from Sky Power International

With the Gökhun, the Turkish company Esen has developed a tactical VTOL drone – a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system that offers high flexibility and modularity and requires no infrastructure. As an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), Gökhun combines the mobility of a NATO Class I unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with the performance of a tactical Class II system. It is designed for complex intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions on land and at sea.

Propulsion and performance data of the VTOL drone

Propulsion is provided by the modern SP 210 FI SG two-stroke engine from Sky Power International. With a 12-kilogram payload, the system stays airborne for around nine hours. Maximum take-off weight is 110 kilograms, range over 150 kilometres (LOS) and service ceiling 5,500 metres – figures for long-endurance reconnaissance missions. Cruising speed is 96 to 158 km/h.

The air-cooled twin-cylinder engine delivers 11 kW at 5,500 rpm and weighs just 9.4 kilograms. Twin-spark ignition, electronic fuel injection and integrated sensors ensure robust, low-emission engine management, tailored to UAV operations in extreme conditions – whether in the desert or at sea. Thanks to an electrical output of 12–15 V DC, sensors and communication systems can be powered directly from the on-board network.

The Gökhun needs an area of just ten by ten metres for take-off and landing. The integrated Gördes navigation system makes it independent of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals. All safety-critical systems, including navigation, power supply and data link, are redundant. GNSS anti-jamming protection and a function that automatically returns the system on link loss add further operational safety.

Two people are enough for transport and operation, and the system is ready for use after around 15 minutes. According to the manufacturer, the modular design allows “easy maintenance and flexible payload configuration” – for example for simultaneous electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) use, communications intelligence or search and rescue (SAR) applications. Because the ground station is transferable, it enables “dynamic mission management in the field”.

According to the manufacturer, Gökhun withstands temperatures from minus 30 degrees to plus 55 degrees, remains stable in wind speeds of up to 40 knots and is designed ITAR-free. It thus meets NATO standards AEP-83/84 and is suitable for national and international operations, from border protection and disaster relief to maritime reconnaissance and precision agriculture.

Karsten Schudt, Managing Director of Sky Power International GmbH, sums up: “The combination of high mission endurance, modular architecture and redundant system design makes the Gökhun a powerful ISR platform in difficult operating environments.”