The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) recently added the next-generation Anka unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), based on the Anka-S unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) to its inventory, local defense news sites reported late Sunday.
Turkey-based defense industry news platform SavunmaSanayiST.com reported that manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has so far delivered four of the newly-configured Anka-S drones, two of which have been allocated to the Turkish Naval Forces while the other two will be used by the country's air force.
In an interview with the news site, TAI UAV Systems vice chair, Ömer Yıldız, said the main difference between the new generation and the current Anka-S are in wings and wing profile.
The Anka-S UAV has a useful payload capacity of 250 kilograms and can stay in the air for up to 24 hours. With the new configuration, it can now carry up to 350 kilograms and stay in the air for up to 30 hours.
The company is also considering delivering the new Anka configuration to the Gendarmerie General Command.
Anka UAVs are capable of carrying four MAM-L smart micro munitions (MAM), developed by another Turkish defense industry company, Roketsan.
MAM is a laser-guided system produced for armed drones, light attack aircraft and fighter aircraft. MAM-L is thermobaric while the MAM-C is the high explosive variant. The biggest of the bunch, MAM-T, is used in long-range.
The latest version of the Anka drone is in active use with the TSK, Gendarmerie General Command and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
The UCAV has three different configurations: Anka-S, Anka-B and Anka-I.
The Anka-S configuration, with Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) capabilities through satellite links, is being used by the TSK and the Gendarmerie units. The Anka-B configuration, which has Link Relay capabilities, is also used by the TSK and the Gendarmerie. The Anka-I, on the other hand, is operated by MIT and used in signal intelligence.
