ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL: Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the leading Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles producer, has inked a contract with Pakistan’s National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) to produce military drones.
Reports in Turkish media quoting sources said both sides will be jointly responsible for employment, resource, and technology transfer within the scope of the agreement aimed to expand the markets for the Turkish drones. The contract was inked during International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2021 held in the Turkish capital.
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) general manager Temel Kotil, speaking about the development said “the contract we made with Pakistan within the scope of our Anka UAV systems will be beneficial for the industry and will further contribute in expanding the potential markets between the two countries.
#ANKA için yeni adım!#Pakistan’ın Milli Mühendislik ve Bilim Komisyonu (#NESCOM) ile "İnsansız Hava Araçları" özelinde sözleşme imzaladık.#TUSAŞ pic.twitter.com/P0eaP2yaB4
— Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii (@TUSAS_TR) August 21, 2021
Janes All the World’s Aircraft, an aviation publication revealed features about Anka – unmanned aerial vehicles. The serial production of Anka started back in 2017, while it can stay in the air for more than 24 hours at an altitude of 30,000 feet. It is capable of moving 200 km range besides carrying electro-optical/infrared and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).
It has a maximum takeoff weight of around 1,600 kg and can carry a payload of up to 350 kg and fly for a maximum of 30 hours.
It further added that the Anka ‘Block A’ along with ‘Block B’ are the early variants, while the ‘Anka-S’ is the serial-production variant.
The latest ‘Anka S’ is capable to attack with Roketsan’s MAM-L and smaller MAM-C laser-guided bombs and features the Aselsan Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS).
It further added that it is developed to operate for satellite communications for beyond-line-of-sight operations, and secure communications, among other modern-day tech.
Let it be known that the Turkish Air Force inducted Anka in 2013 while Turkey’s navy, intelligence agency, and its Gendarmerie General Command have also been using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Turkish forces have been using the aircraft in multiple operations as the drone was used against the Kurdish militia group in northwest Syria. Last year, the Turkish military deployed drones during Operation Spring Shield against the Syrian Forces.
It is worth mentioning that the South Asian country has also signed a multi-billion dollar agreement with Turkish giant TAI, under which it will purchase 30 modern T-129 attack helicopters.
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