A Turkish stealth drone powered by a Ukrainian engine has successfully completed its debut flight, expanding Turkey's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Source. Bloomberg reports.
The ANKA-3, developed by state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and powered by an engine developed by the Ukrainian company Ivchenko-Progress, flew for more than an hour on Thursday, reaching an altitude of 2.4 km and a speed of 150 knots.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showcased it in a video posted on Twitter (X), calling the UAV an advanced technology and emphasizing its capabilities in strengthening Turkey's defense.
The development of the ANKA-3 has been shrouded in secrecy, and TAI first published its photos in March of this year. A company engineer working on the aircraft told Defense Turk in an interview in May that design work began in earnest in the first quarter of 2022.
The new model signals Turkey's growing investment in drone technology, complementing the work of Baykar, a private company known for its Bayraktar TB2 drones, which is run by one of Erdogan's sons-in-law. TB2s have become famous in Ukraine as an effective and inexpensive weapon system.
The ANKA-3 is designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and combat missions, according to the TAI website. It can fly at altitudes of up to 40,000 feet and stay in the air for up to 10 hours, carrying a payload of 1,200 kg.
"The Anka's ability to stay in the air for a long time is a great achievement. It can move back and forth to its targets several times without being detected by modern air defense radars," said Kubilay Yilmaz, an aviation expert.
The Turkish-made Kaan fighter jet is also scheduled to make its first flight in January, Bloomberg reports.
Background. In early November, it became known that Turkey had conducted a new successful test of the Bayraktar TB3 attack deck drone.