Turkey ready for serial production of 'ANKA' UAVs

[Darth Vader]

by A. Taghiyeva
[Trend News Agency]

Turkey's first domestic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ANKA is ready for serial production after test flights, The Lira newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the report, Turkish aerospace company Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A.Ş (TUSA&#350 is already receiving orders for the production of the drones and is soon starting mass production.

Work on the creation of the first Turkish reconnaissance drones has been underway since 2004. About 180 engineers have worked on the project.

ANKA belongs to the medium-altitude long endurance UAVs. Compared with the Israeli drone Heron, ANKA has a number of advantages. So, while Heron can raise not more than a 185 kilogramme payload to a 30,000 foot altitude, this figure for ANKA exceeds 200 kilogrammes.

In recent years, the Turkish military industry focused on the development and manufacture of its own products.