Turkey is stepping up its efforts to become the world’s top defense exporter and a country with a strong military presence. The work has been ongoing for years, and Turkey is progressively demonstrating to the rest of the world what it is capable of with its cutting-edge defense technology.
This year, it takes the shape of the Bayraktar Aknc, a High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Following the launch of the latest combat drone, Turkey earned worldwide attention and acclaim from a variety of countries. But what exactly is this Aknc drone? What role does it play in the Turkish military industry?
The Turkish government’s goal to establish a strong national defense sector dates back to the Ottoman Empire. However, the main fruit of the endeavor would not be seen until the 1980s.
During this time, the Turkish Armed Forces were modernized by the government, with the primary objective of developing a national defense sector based on cutting-edge technology.
The current Turkish defense sector is capable of manufacturing both local and international products, and it has a comprehensive research and development program, thanks to ongoing efforts to grow the industry. In 2020, the sector successfully provided a number of new commodities to security forces while also working to create technology that would boost the country’s military capabilities.
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The release of Bayraktar Aknc in August 2021 will add to the company’s sustained growth. It was handed to the Turkish Armed Forces inventory at a joyous delivery ceremony conducted at the flying training and test center in orlu, Tekirda Province of Turkey, after being developed by Turkish military company Baykar Makina in 2017.
With the opening of Aknc, Turkey becomes a step closer to realizing its ambition of becoming one of the world’s major military manufacturers. So, what does an Aknc drone have to offer? Aknc, with its advanced characteristics, has a cargo capacity of 1350 kg and is equipped with superior artificial intelligence navigation technology. It is also equipped with Rocketsan’s Smart Micro Munition, which is made in Turkey.
This feature has a significant impact on weight reduction, flying time, and accuracy. They’ve also been praised across the world for their efficiency and cheaper costs. Furthermore, Aknc claimed to be capable of gathering data by recording enormous amounts of data through cameras and sensors, and owing to its advanced AI function, it can also obtain situational awareness by using geographical information rather than GPS.
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Though it was planned to have an astonishing 24 hours of endurance, the drone managed to stay in the air for 25 hours and 46 minutes during a flight test on July 8, 2021, at an altitude of 38,039 feet.
With its conventional reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, electronic warfare, pointing, and positioning capabilities, as well as its innovative ground and air-based assault capability, Bayraktar AKINCI will play an important role in combat zones.
As an effective user of modern technology, it will undoubtedly help the Turkish Armed Forces increase their combat agility. It will also allow Turkey, as a developing manufacturer, to define the future of the global UAV sector.
As a result, it’s unclear how Akinci will construct Turkish defense in the future. To begin with, Turkey’s status as a recognized global defense supplier permits it to achieve a strategic negotiating position in this field. This will eventually contribute to the country’s economic well-being, in addition to creating possibilities for future collaboration and collaborations. On the other hand, this situation may help Turkey become more self-reliant in the defense fleet and less on other countries.
