Serbia's IKA-20-M military unmanned aerial vehicle has just been upgraded with a new configuration called IKA-MACHINE-GUN, allowing direct firepower deployment from the air with a 7.62mm machine gun.
This is considered a new step in the trend of integrating light weapons onto multi-purpose UAV platforms to enhance automatic combat capabilities.
The new variant is developed by Serbian defense technology company PR-DC, based on the IKA-20-M military multirotor helicopter platform.
The system is integrated with a 7.62mm caliber M86 machine gun, capable of firing in single or aerial firing mode.
According to the developer, this UAV can carry 250 rounds of ammunition in one launch, with a rate of fire of more than 800 rounds/minute and an effective range of up to 1,000 meters.
A notable feature of the IKA-MACHINE-GUN is its ability to operate automatically both day and night. Although still supporting remote control, this platform is mainly designed to perform autonomous missions, including takeoff, combat and landing without direct human intervention.
PR-DC company has also released a test video showing this UAV performing a complete automated sequence of operations before firing at simulated ground targets.
The airline said that the aircraft can operate continuously for about 30 minutes with a payload of up to 20kg, which is considered outstanding performance in the current military multirotor UAV group.
Before the machine gun version, the IKA-20-M series was introduced with configurations carrying missiles and bombs in the air. The addition of machine gun modules continues to show the flexible development direction of this platform, allowing load changes depending on combat requirements.
According to PR-DC, the modular design helps IKA-20-M easily adapt to many different missions, from fire support, reconnaissance to attacking tactical targets in modern combat environments.
