A product of Baykar, Türkiye’s leading defense company specializing in drones, the Akıncı is a prominent member of the country’s growing unmanned aerial vehicle family. Its participation in a mission to find the wreckage of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi brought the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UCAV) to the spotlight again.
A high-altitude long endurance (HALE) class vehicle, Akıncı was added to the arsenal of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2021.
The drone boasts two turboprop engines and has a maximum takeoff weight of 5,500 kilograms (12,125 pounds). It has a load capacity of 1,350 kilograms.
Akıncı, which made Türkiye one of the three countries capable of producing this drone class, can also be used in air-to-air combat. It is equipped with dual redundant SATCOM and dual redundant LOS.
It can fly for up to 24 hours and has a maximum altitude of 40,000 feet with a 20-meter (65-foot) wingspan.
The drone, which flew for the first time in December 2019, takes its name from a legendary Ottoman military unit, which literally means “raiders,” who served as reconnaissance and scouting divisions of the Ottoman Army.
It was first used in counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq. On the civilian side, it took part in search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye, assisting crews on the ground for faster damage detection as well. Baykar has signed an agreement with nine countries for the export of Akıncı.
