Which country's drone found the wreckage of Ibrahim Raisi's helicopter; Turkey or Iran?

"Although we say Iran plays a role in several Arab capitals and has influenced the region, as we move deeper into Iran's borders, we face a fragile government." These words belong to Serhan Afacan, a professor at Marmara University, explaining the situation the Iranian government is facing; a situation that some in Turkey describe as an intelligence weakness and the lack of professionalism of Iran's security, intelligence, and rescue apparatus in the incident involving the death of the president and his companions. These statements are made in Turkish media while many in the country feel pride in the success of the Turkish-made drone in locating the crash site of Ibrahim Raisi's helicopter. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also announced a day of public mourning to express sympathy with Tehran, stating that the Akıncı drone, dispatched to the region at the request of the Islamic Republic, once again demonstrated Turkey's drone power to the world. However, these statements have been met with criticism from some officials and media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, labeling them as "lies" or "inaccurate statements." Beyond the verbal dispute between officials and media from both sides, it is noteworthy that over two million people in Turkey were watching the operational path and data that the Akıncı drone was conducting in Iran, with about 200,000 following the drone's flight path on the "Flight Radar" website. According to Anadolu, Turkey's official news agency, hours after the drone entered Iranian airspace, it announced that it had located the wreckage of the helicopter carrying Ibrahim Raisi and sent the coordinates to Iranian authorities. This media outlet also shared images transmitted by the drone with its audience; images that received significant attention in Iranian media. Selçuk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, the manufacturer of the Akıncı drone, explained that during this operation, the drone was controlled by Turkish armed forces and flew at an average distance of 100 meters from mountainous heights. He emphasized, "We reached the wreckage of the helicopter in a very short time, approximately 200 kilometers from the border." The CEO of Baykar also added that "this drone operated under conditions where no other aircraft in the world could fly." According to a detailed report published by Anadolu following this operation, the request for assistance in searching for Raisi's helicopter was communicated by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the National Defense Ministry at 8 PM local time on Sunday. The report states that Iran requested a drone with night vision capabilities from Turkey. Initially, Turkey intended to send a Cougar helicopter to Iran. This helicopter had already set off and reached the Van province from Diyarbakır, but it was communicated through the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Iranian side that this helicopter could not operate in the area due to weather conditions, and instead, the Akıncı drone would be sent for assistance, which could conduct searches despite adverse weather conditions. After Iran accepted this proposal, the Akıncı drone took off around 11:30 PM local time from the 14th UAV base in Batman province and arrived at the crash site approximately an hour later to begin its operation. Turkey claims that it transmitted images of the wreckage of Raisi's helicopter at 3:06 AM Iranian time and shared the coordinates of the wreckage with Iranian officials. Ultimately, the Akıncı drone returned to Turkish airspace at 6:45 AM on Monday (Turkey time). Thus, according to Erdoğan, despite adverse weather conditions, the drone was able to conduct search operations in the area for seven and a half hours and flew a total of 2,100 kilometers. It was also reported that this drone reached a speed of about 375 kilometers per hour to reach Iran. The role of Iranian equipment and rescuers Although at the time the coordinates were announced by the Turkish drone and some Iranian journalists and news agencies confirmed it, the Iranian narrative suddenly changed after the wreckage of the helicopter was found. Despite the images transmitted from the Akıncı drone, which included night vision and thermal camera footage seen by millions, Pirhossein Kolivand, head of Iran's Red Crescent Society, rejected foreign participation in the search and rescue operation for Raisi's helicopter, calling foreign assistance a "rumor." The head of the Iranian Red Crescent also stated, "We did not stop the search in the dark, fog, and rain, and when we discovered the wreckage of the helicopter with our drone, we moved towards the exact crash site." He emphasized that Red Crescent rescuers found the wreckage at an altitude of 2,500 meters and that "it took 40 minutes from the time of finding the wreckage to reaching the site of the incident." These statements come as the Red Crescent in its fifth statement around 4 AM on Monday Iranian time wrote, "Considering the identification of two thermal points by the Turkish drone in the village of Tavil, Red Crescent rescue teams are moving towards the probable landing site of the helicopter carrying the president and his companions." Additionally, the head of the East Azerbaijan Red Crescent stated, "According to what the Turkish drone reported, a burning point has been identified, and rescue forces are being dispatched to that area. The area in question is called Tavil." However, Asghar Abbasgholizadeh, commander of the Ashura Corps, stated, "Based on the images transmitted by the Turkish drone, the incident site is south of Tavil and initially indicated the coordinates east of Tavil." The Fars news agency also claimed simultaneously that "the volunteer teams that reached the announced coordinates found no sign of the helicopter carrying the president at the coordinates provided by the Turkish drone." An Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reporter also claimed during the news program at 9 PM on Tuesday that an Iranian drone belonging to the Quds Force found the wreckage of the helicopter around 5:30 AM. This reporter also added that the Turkish drone did not accurately confirm the location, having a 10-kilometer error from the ground route and mistakes in identifying the position. This claim was reiterated in another program on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. In this program, the presenter stated, "Turkey helped by providing night vision helicopters and drones to expedite the rescue operation, but the coordinates they provided to the Islamic Republic ultimately turned out to be incorrect when rescuers reached those coordinates, realizing that it was not the crash site of the helicopter carrying the president and his companions... It was around 5 AM that the correct coordinates were finally found with Iranian equipment and Iranian rescue forces." Despite all this, Iranian military institutions and media have yet to publish images or information from the mentioned drone that would confirm these claims. Live coverage of related news The body of Ibrahim Raisi was buried in Mashhad The aftermath and coordinates of the Akıncı drone The Radarbox website reported that the Akıncı drone, upon returning to its hangar, drew the crescent and star of the Turkish flag over Lake Van in the sky of its country. This act was seen as a source of pride for the Turkish side, and many people in Turkey shared it on their social media. Mete Yarar, a military expert in Turkey, stated that the reason for using the Akıncı in this operation was its speed, as it is faster than similar drones. According to him, the reason Iran also used the Turkish drone was a matter of time, "meaning that since Iran was losing time to find its officials, Turkey came to help." Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Turkey's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, also explained the presence of the Akıncı in Iran, stating that finding the wreckage of the helicopter had become difficult as it "did not have an automatic signal transmission device (transponder) or it was turned off." However, some in Turkish media are upset by the reactions from the Iranian side and even say they have exploited Turkey's good intentions. Some Turkish experts claim that discussions in Iranian networks suggest that the Turks have taken Iran's military plans through the Akıncı and shared them with some countries, which is not "appropriate at all." Nevertheless, some argue that Turkish drones did not gain fame from the search operation for Raisi's helicopter, as they had already been recognized globally. In fact, Baykar and its products, including the Bayraktar and Akıncı drones, have drawn attention in military industries worldwide for several years, especially the Bayraktar TB2 drone, which became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the Russia-Ukraine war. The Akıncı drone gained its reputation in rescue operations, particularly after the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey. The Turkish military has also used this drone in its border patrol operations and for reconnaissance of forces it labels as "terrorists" beyond its borders. This drone uses electro-optical systems for identification, consisting of various elements such as high-resolution infrared cameras, day and night vision cameras, and laser point tracking. With the reputation these drones have gained in recent years, Baykar has become one of Turkey's leading companies in military product exports, and its CEO has also become one of Turkey's billionaires. This drone has been in mass production since 2021 and is now produced in three models A, B, and C. The Akıncı can carry a weight of six thousand kilograms and can reach an altitude of over 13,000 meters. This drone is 12.2 meters long and has a wingspan of 20 meters.