by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has made significant progress in drone technology over the past decade, using it in surveillance, reconnaissance and counter terrorism operations at home and abroad.

Turkey's latest drone, the strategic armed Akinci, passed its maiden test flight during which it automatically landed, privately-owned drone maker Baykar Makina announced on Dec. 6.

With two turbine engines, the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) can carry nearly 1.5 tons of payload and fly at an operational altitude of 12 kilometers and can stay in the air for up to 24 hours.

The manufacturer said that the drone may be equipped with air-to-air missiles domestically developed in Turkey and may also be deployed in air-to-air missions. The Akinci is expected to start its service in Turkish security forces in 2020.

In 2017, Baykar sold the first batch of its TB2 drones to Qatar, Turkey's main regional ally in the Gulf region. The company, financially supported by Turkish government, also launched a naval version of the drone, used in the Aegean Sea amid maritime dispute with Greece.

In January this year, Baykar also signed a contract with Ukraine to sell the latter 12 TB2s and ammunitions.

According to a 2019 report published by the Stockholm-based SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), Ankara's defense exports increased by 170 percent in the past four years, the fastest-growing worldwide.

Turkey has used its drone technology against the extremists abroad and domestically, currently, Turkish army and police use at least three different homemade UAVs which are combat proven.

"Turkey is among the first countries in the world to have started using UAVs in operational combats. It first imported these aerial vehicles from countries, such as Britain and Israel, and worked hard afterwards to develop its own technology," Ozgur Eksi, a defense industry specialist, told Xinhua.

"Turkey noticed very early its need for such a technology and has over the past decade built serious know-how in this field," said Eksi, the editor-in-chief of the defense magazine C4.

Starting from scratch in the early 2000s, Turkey now can provide a number of drones for the international market.

Eksi particularly praised the Akinci, a combat UAV, which the manufacturer thinks could serve as a prelude to an advanced unmanned fighter jet that could perform the tasks of a classic F-16 for strategic missions.

Akinci is an ambitious and powerful UAV which can provide substantial capabilities for Turkey in this region which is stricken with conflicts such as in Syria or Iraq, pointed out the specialist.

Experts believe that Turkey's homegrown drone industry is also a valuable asset for NATO at a time when its allies are worried over Ankara's ties with Russia after its purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems.

Turkey claims that growing cooperation between Ankara and Moscow doesn't constitute an alternative to its traditional ties with the West, which have deteriorated after a botched military coup in 2016 followed with a massive crackdown on suspected coup plotters.

Last week before attending a NATO summit in London marking the 70th anniversary of the Atlantic Treaty Organization, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "Russia remains one of Turkey's main partners."

However, he insisted, "our relations with Russia are not an alternative to ties with other allies, on the contrary, they supplement each other."

"Turkey's drone industry and capabilities could present a significant contribution to many NATO missions and operations," Eksi added. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)