A Turkish stealth drone with a Ukrainian engine successfully completed its debut flight, expanding Turkey’s arsenal of unmanned aircraft, Bloomberg reported.
The ANKA-3, developed by state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and powered by an engine designed by Ukraine’s Ivchenko-Progress, flew for over an hour on Thursday, reaching an altitude of 8,000 feet (2.4 kilometers) and speeds of 150 knots.
TUSAŞ tarafından geliştirilen insansız savaş uçağımız Anka III, bugün ilk uçuşunu başarıyla gerçekleştirdi. İnşallah uçağımız, sahip olduğu gelişmiş teknolojilerle, tasarımıyla ve özellikleriyle ülkemizin savunmasına çok güçlü bir katkı sağlayacak. 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/ElZaSoNRVo
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) December 28, 2023
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan showcased the milestone in a video shared on X, highlighting what he described as the drone’s advanced technology and capabilities in bolstering Turkey’s defenses.
The ANKA-3’s development was surrounded by secrecy, with TAI publishing its photos for the first time in March of this year. A company engineer working on the aircraft’s development said in an interview with industry news website Defence Turk in May that the design work had begun in earnest in the first quarter of 2022.
The new model underlines Turkey’s growing investment in drone technology, complementing work by Baykar, a private company known for its Bayraktar TB2 drones and co-run by one of Erdogan’s sons-in-law. The TB2 drew praise from Ukraine to Azerbaijan as an effective, low-cost weapons system.
The ANKA-3 is designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and combat missions, according to TAI’s website. It will be able to fly at up to 40,000 feet and stay in the air for up to 10 hours, carrying a payload of 1,200 kilograms.
“Anka’s ability to stay in the air for a long time is a great capability. It can go back and forth to target points multiple times without being caught by even modern air defense system radars,” said Kubilay Yilmaz, an independent Turkish aviation expert.
Drones have been at the forefront of Erdoğan’s push to build up Turkey’s defense industry, including its aging air force. A domestically produced fighter jet, Kaan, is also scheduled to make its first flight in January, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
