Dream Reaching the Sky: The Story of the SİRİUS UAV Team

Everything began when I visited TEKNOFEST in 2024. I wanted to form a team and build a UAV. My friends supported this dream, and in October 2024 we founded the SİRİUS UAV Team to compete in the Combat UAV category of TEKNOFEST. We named our team after Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

Just like Sirius, we aimed to shine in the sky. Our core team of eight consisted of energetic and eager students from diverse engineering disciplines including software, electronics, and mechanics. Our first task was to understand exactly what the competition required. In the Combat UAV mission, we were expected to autonomously detect other UAVs. In the Kamikaze mission, we needed to locate and decode QR codes.

^{SİRİUS UAV Team (SİRİUS UAV)}

We began our research for the UAV. We spent hours browsing forums, calculating motor-to-wing ratios, and watching sample flight videos. Eventually we made our decision: the X-UAV Talon EPO FPV 1718 mm model was perfect for us. We named it Akyıldız, after our loyal warrior in the sky. But it was not enough to simply use a ready-made model. For durability and safety, we added partial carbon fiber reinforcements to Akyıldız.

^{Akyıldız UAV (SİRİUS UAV)}

Our goal was not merely to participate in the competition. We wanted to realize our own potential, experience the power of collaborative creation, and contribute to Türkiye’s defense industry vision. We also aimed to inspire our peers with an interest in this field, to tell them, “You can do this too.” Even today, during every test flight, our eyes still follow Akyıldız with the same excitement as on the first day.

TEKNOFEST Combat UAV Competition is, in essence, a true engineering challenge. Through this competition, you do not simply build a UAV; you make it fly, think, and identify targets. In short, you are constructing a flying artificial intelligence!

In this mission, we were required to have a UAV like Akyıldız fly autonomously in the air and detect other UAVs in its surroundings. Moreover, this detection had to be completed within a minimum of four seconds. Thus, it would not merely fly—it would also be intelligent enough to say, “There is someone over there!” This mission offered an exceptional experience for those interested in image processing and artificial intelligence, as it mirrored real-world uncertainties precisely.

The name may sound harsh, but this mission demands equal intelligence and precision. Predefined QR code locations are marked on the competition field. Our task is to approach these codes using the nose camera, perform a dive maneuver, read the QR code, and transmit its contents to the server.

Speed, agility, and image quality are critical for this mission. Therefore, during our work on this mission, we conducted extensive tests on both software and hardware sides. In this task, you either see the QR code or you fly past it.

The competition process is not merely a few-month-long event; it is a months-long, labor-intensive marathon. This marathon has three major stages:

In the first step, your team must demonstrate how well you understand the technical aspects of the project. We detailed our knowledge, equipment, and plans. It was essentially our way of saying, “We know how to do this.”

The second stage is more detailed. Here, you must describe your vehicle in every aspect: flight system, hardware layout, algorithms, safety measures… All details are included in this report. Thus, it is not just about the idea—it is also about how robust the implementation is.

The final stage was our favorite part because we finally flew Akyıldız! In this stage, you must provide video proof that your vehicle works and can complete the assigned tasks. It was both stressful and exhilarating, as the tangible reward of months of effort became visible here. Those who successfully complete this stage qualify for the TEKNOFEST finals!

^{UAV Testing (SİRİUS UAV)}

Because this competition is not merely about winning a trophy. The real prize is building a system, solving problems, creating as a team, and leaving something behind in the sky.

And the best part is that everything is done by students. This makes it an ideal platform for young engineering candidates to test themselves. Moreover, many of these projects have the potential to serve as the foundation for large-scale systems in Türkiye’s defense industry.