Turkey has come of age as one of the fastest growing regional powers around the world. Your leaders have a good vision in equipping Turkish military with the latest of UCAV technologies which you can build at home. Having a UCAV fleet would be detrimental to having a successful counter-terrorist policy in your country.
I have nothing but admiration for your technological leaders who identify the need for automation and digitalisation of warfare in the coming years. Given the fact that you are suffering from terrorism and bombings, drones would become the phalanx of Turkish special forces.
Looking forward to more developments in this thread.
All you need to do is earn one single export contract at a global level; if you can master the engine technology of these drones as well as offer satellite technology along as a package, you are looking at a huge, huge international market willing to acquire from you. Arabs may hesitate right now, but rest of the countries in the region would be making a beeline to get access to UCAVs without strings.
Thanks for your constructive comment and good wishes !
Turkey, cause of ruling a strategic location in region whose border is surrounded by destabilized states is fighting against multiple terror threats. In 1990's, Turkiye got tired of requesting the strategic weapon systems to be effective against counter-secessionist terrorist operations using many different gerilla tactics but Our “allies” choose to issue mostly sanctions in such difficult times while inner traitors were busy to back-stab own country in paralel to the benefits of external powers. Some of them were charged to delay Turkish programs, while others transferred the secrets of some projects for their masters. Even today, You can realize their comments in this forum as well. They always bring forward some excuses to achieve their main missions to attack Turkiye but They are not allowed to live in this beautiful country anymore but in prison or abroad. In such a complicated environment in 2010's, Turkish industry found own solution with developing own drone systems that we are not allowed to purchase. In paralel to drone development, We have faced new sanctions on sub-component level. Laser designator, some sensors, and detectors were put into sanction lists to block our armed drone programs and The drone programs delayed until Aselsan revealed own solutions to replace foreign dependency on those components as well. Later, They suddenly ease the sale of electro-optic payloads in the times when Aselsan revealed CATS 3rd generation Flir system and the rules of the game aiming to drive us into a disaster, is re-written by Bayraktar TB2 and Anka like platforms.
At present, Turkish industry is trying to cut the final dependency with developing state of art engines which is going to power up all platforms from top to down. Thanks to those strategic systems, PKK terrorists have been wiped from the floor inside the country and Army is regularly striking deep inside Iraq to erase them outside our border but US found a new solution to make them live with supporting PKK’s Syrian wing, PYD, with supplying heavy weaponry under the safe umbrella of US because they realized that Turkey can not be controlled by external efforts, coups, economical attacks, sanctions, terrorism, threatens anymore. After induction of armed drones, The activity of PKK terrorists are minimized and Turkish Army reached a kill ratio around 60-80 rats monthly without giving any martyrs so those drones have very special place in our minds/hearts so Their success can not be measured with number of drones exported/to be exported abroad, Although Qatar and Ukraine officially declared deals for Bayraktar, While Anka remained into shortlist with a few manufacturer in Indonesia, Morocco tenders.
About engines, Turkish industry successfully revealed gasoline and turbo-diesel engines for the drones mentioned above. The national engines perform much superior performance than German or European equivalents replaced/to be replaced... In final, It is reported that TEI will announce a new strategic engine which is being kept secret cause of secrecy policy of program. First ignition of this engine have been done in recent weeks. I believe New engine will be a turbo-prop which will have a thrust of 550hp to be used (twin) on Akinci heavy class armed drone introduced above. Self-reliance on industrial activity provides freedom on foreign policy. Actually, That is what disturbs West but On the other hand, they want to get a share on cake ($) at the same time so They are joining into some programs under some terms issued by Turkish officials. I think They also realized that Today's Turkiye is not the same place that they block sale of requested number of simple MLRS, Tanks or attack helicopters in yesterdays.