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NEW TURKISH UAV TO BE IN SKIES IN SUMMER
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 13, 2012 - 14:34 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Anka, a medium-altitude and long-endurance (MALE)
unmanned aerial vehicle designed and produced by Turkish Aerospace
Industries for more than $150 million, should be in the skies this
summer, according to the manufacturers.
However, even the Anka's makers can't say how effective it will be
against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, the
purpose for which it has been designed.
Efforts to design the Anka were launched in 2004 with $150 million
for five aircraft, and 8 years later, the drone, whose name was
inspired from a mythical flying creature, has made several partly
successful test-flights.
The drone's A version is a reconnaissance unit and the planned
B version is projected to become the UAV's unmanned combat aerial
vehicle. The A version is ready, but it is not known if the B version
will appear soon, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Turkey has increasingly been trying to use UAVs against PKK
capabilities in an area in its southeast, bordering Iraq and Iran.
Since the end of 2007, the United States has been involved in efforts
to provide the Turkish military with active intelligence against the
PKK. Using information gathered by U.S. drones, the military has hit
PKK positions in northern Iraq several times since then.
The U.S. has agreed to a request by Turkey to transfer four MQ-1
Predator drones used for that purpose to bases inside Turkey as the
U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from Iraq, moving the four drones
to the Incirlik base inside Turkey.
Turkey separately has requested to buy four MQ-1 Predators and two
MQ-9 Reaper drones from the U.S., to which a positive response has
yet to be given since the request was made in early 2009.
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 13, 2012 - 14:34 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Anka, a medium-altitude and long-endurance (MALE)
unmanned aerial vehicle designed and produced by Turkish Aerospace
Industries for more than $150 million, should be in the skies this
summer, according to the manufacturers.
However, even the Anka's makers can't say how effective it will be
against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, the
purpose for which it has been designed.
Efforts to design the Anka were launched in 2004 with $150 million
for five aircraft, and 8 years later, the drone, whose name was
inspired from a mythical flying creature, has made several partly
successful test-flights.
The drone's A version is a reconnaissance unit and the planned
B version is projected to become the UAV's unmanned combat aerial
vehicle. The A version is ready, but it is not known if the B version
will appear soon, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Turkey has increasingly been trying to use UAVs against PKK
capabilities in an area in its southeast, bordering Iraq and Iran.
Since the end of 2007, the United States has been involved in efforts
to provide the Turkish military with active intelligence against the
PKK. Using information gathered by U.S. drones, the military has hit
PKK positions in northern Iraq several times since then.
The U.S. has agreed to a request by Turkey to transfer four MQ-1
Predator drones used for that purpose to bases inside Turkey as the
U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from Iraq, moving the four drones
to the Incirlik base inside Turkey.
Turkey separately has requested to buy four MQ-1 Predators and two
MQ-9 Reaper drones from the U.S., to which a positive response has
yet to be given since the request was made in early 2009.