Anka, the Turkish UAS, to get SATCOM
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עברית (Hebrew)
Turkey will add Satcom capabilities to the Anka, the country’s first indigenously built UAV, according to a top procurement official.
Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, said the Anka’s design would evolve over time following consultations with the Air Force over any necessary modifications.
“The most critical modification from the original design will be the satcom capability, which we have decided to add to the aircraft,” Bayar said. A procurement source familiar with the program said told Defense News that satcom is considered to be an ideal solution for UAS operations. “We have come to the conclusion that satcom would be a critical enabler of UAV operations,” he said. “It will enable extended-range data capture and transfer. A kind of multiplier, in a way.”
IHLS – Israel Homeland Security
Bayar said the country’s engine parts manufacturer, Turkish Engine Industries (TEI), has been tasked with developing an engine for the Anka after Chinese group Avic International’s acquisition of Thielert, a bankrupt German maker of diesel engines for aircraft and the supplier of engines for the Anka. Bayar said that SSM would sign a contract for the acquisition of an initial batch of 10 Ankas “very soon.”
The Anka passed acceptance tests late in January. The final, decisive tests in January involved a full endurance, 18-hour flight, successful auto landing, data link performance at a distance of 200 kilometers under winds up to 45 knots, and night take-offs and landings. The Anka has completed more than 150 flight hours.
The Anka is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. Such UAVs usually can operate for 24 hours at an altitude of 10,000 feet.
