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| Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned armed aerial vehicle. |
International Military - Drone Akinci, Turkey's advanced unmanned aircraft will be on display at Teknofest Azerbaijan. In this regard, it marks the first overseas edition of one of the world's largest aviation, space and technology festivals. Not only that, the flights carried out are also unprecedented. Where he departed from northwest Turkey before finally landing in Azerbaijan.
Quoted from Daily Sabah, two Bayraktar Akıncı drones took off from the northwestern orlu district of Tekirdağ on Saturday last week, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Then, it traveled through Turkey and Georgia before they landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, said developer Baykar. Covering a distance of about 2,000 kilometers, the UCAV completed a five-hour flight.
Not only that, they also traveled through three countries, a first in Turkish aviation history. Six Akıncı drones have entered the inventory so far and are in active use by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
They had joined their first major operation last month when Turkey launched a military offensive against PKK terrorist targets in northern Iraq.
The Bayraktar Akinci drone is longer and wider than the Bayraktar TB2 and can perform strategic tasks. It has a wingspan of 20 meters (65 feet) with a unique bent wing structure and is equipped with fully automatic flight control and a triple autopilot system.
The Bayraktar Akinci drone can carry a wide range of weaponry, including various missiles such as Smart Micro Munitions (MAM-L) developed by leading Turkish contractor Roketsan. It can be equipped with locally produced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and Gökdoğan (Merlin) and Bozdoğan (Peregrine) air-to-air missiles.
It is also capable of launching several other types of locally made munitions, such as the Roketsan Stand-Off Missile (SOM), a long-range air-to-surface cruise missile that can hit targets up to 150 miles (240 kilometers) long. Baykar said Akinci can strike targets both in the air and on the ground. It can also operate alongside fighter jets and fly higher and stay in the air longer than existing Turkish drones.
According to 19fortyfive.com, the Akinci UCAV is replacing Turkey's TB2 drone, which has proven to be an effective and lethal tool in combat zones from the Caucus to North Africa.
More recently, TB2 has been used by Ukrainian forces against Russia's offensive strategy in the country. The addition of the new Akinci combat UAV to Ukraine's arsenal will further halt Russia's advance in Kyiv. (ZJ)
While Turkey's new combat drone is yet to be exported, the incorporation of its advanced capabilities into the military's arsenal will change the trajectory of UAV warfare for years to come.