Fourteen new armed drones and 140 mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be delivered to Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) this year to be used in counterterrorism operations.
While the 14 UAVs have been developed under the auspices of ANKA and tactical UAV project, 140 mini UAVs will be delivered within the scope of rotorcraft UAV project.
Turkey bolstered domestic efforts to advance its national defense industry in recent years, particularly the development of indigenous UAVs, which have been considered a significant step to achieve the goals set for the national defense systems.
ANKAs are developed by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and tactical UAVs and mini UAVS will be produced by Baykar Makina, the producer of the Bayraktar drones.
Besides the UAVs, 61 bomb disposal robots will be delivered to security forces. Defense industry also continues delivering 90 km ranged Kasrga K+ and 280 km ranged BORA guided missiles to the armed forces.
In the past year, the UAVs and the manned reconnaissance aircrafts have been effectively used in the fight against terrorism. The duration of the total flight of UAVs increased about 14 times in 2017 compared to the previous year, from 1,180 hours to 15, 786 hours.
A total of 405 terrorists, including 64 with armed drones, were eliminated by UAVs during operations. Also, 183 shelters used by terrorists were also destroyed.
Tactical UAVs can stay in the air for up to 25 hours and have a 100 kilograms carrying capacity. They are capable of operating at a range of 150 kilometers within the line of sight, in day and night with the help of sensors they carry.
