TURKEY’S FIRST ARMED ANKA DRONE TO BE DELIVERED IN 2017

The first six Anka-S systems will be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2017.

Photo: Turkish Aerospace Industries

The Turkish Armed Forces will receive the first batch of the Anka-S unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), developed in Turkey, until the end of 2017, the Defense News portal reported, citing the Turkish Defense Ministry. According to Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which developed the Anka and Anka-S drones, this year, the Turkish military will get six Anka-S systems, while the remaining four systems will be delivered in 2018.

A contract for the design, development and production of ten Anka-S systems was signed by TAI and the Turkey’s defense procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), in 2013.

In the last quarter of 2016, the Anka-S started its test flights. The UAV is currently going through a qualification process. At the same time, flight simulators for the drone are being developed by TAI engineers.

The Anka-S is capable to fly at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet (about 9 km) with a payload of 200 kilograms for duration of 24 hours. The drone is compatible with the satellite communications centre and is equipped with a high-definition day and night vision camera.

According to Defense News, citing an unnamed Turkish military official, the Anka-S will be a “strategic asset” for the Turkish Air Force, especially in the military’s fight against separatist-minded Kurdish militants.

In April 2015, the SMM said that Turkey urgently needed armed drone systems in order to increase its intelligence capabilities in warfare against Kurdish militants. Last year, chief of the SMM Ismail Demir noted that the best method to fight radical terror was to monitor the region, controlled by the Islamic State terrorist group, as well as “to have capabilities to hit the threat at its origin … like armed drones.”

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