TSAMTO, June 18. The Malaysian Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of acquiring three additional medium-altitude long-duration UAVs (MALE class) of the Anka-S type manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
The purchase is planned to be implemented as part of the second phase of the national MALE-UAS unmanned aircraft development program.
This was announced on June 16 by the country's Defense Minister, Mohamed Khaled Nordin, during the official ceremony of commissioning the first three UAVs of this type at the Labuan airbase.
The contract for the supply of three Anka-S UAVs in the first phase was signed in May 2023 at the LIMA-2023 exhibition as part of an intergovernmental agreement between the Governments of Malaysia and Turkey. The order cost amounted to 423.8 million ringgit ($91.6 million), including ground control stations, logistics equipment and a two-year training program for Malaysian Air Force personnel. All three vehicles arrived at the Labuan Airbase.Sabah) in June 2025. The ground-based systems were delivered by sea in January 2026.
The purchase was carried out following an international tender, which was also attended by the American General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) with the MQ-9 Reaper and the Chinese CATIC with the Wing Loong II. As a result, the contract for the first phase of the purchase was concluded with TAI.
Turkish Aerospace is already working to expand its presence in Malaysia, opening an engineering design office in the country in November 2021, the first such office in Southeast Asia. In July 2022, Temel Kotil, Executive Director of Turkish Aerospace, told Malaysian media that his company was interested in developing aircraft, helicopter and UAV production facilities in Malaysia. However, he added that in order for the company to start production in Malaysia, it needs to receive orders in the country.
The contract for the supply of the first three Anka-S UAVs was implemented as part of the long-term Malaysian Air Force reform program until 2055, Capability 55, aimed at transforming the Air Force into a full-spectrum force and including the formation of one squadron with MALE-class UAVs.
A representative of the Malaysian Air Force previously reported that the CAP55 program provides for the acquisition of up to nine MALE-class UAVs in three stages (3 units each). At the same time, the purchase package can be changed at each stage.
The Malaysian Air Force intends to use UAVs to perform maritime surveillance tasks in the South China Sea.
The operational deployment from Labuan Air Base will allow Malaysia to monitor maritime activity in the South China Sea and along the maritime border with the Philippines. The infrastructure of the Labuan base was adapted over the course of 12 months by G7 Aerospace in collaboration with Turkish Aerospace, including the integration of refueling and maintenance systems. The Anka-S systems will be operated by the 11th Squadron of the Malaysian Air Force. Flight personnel and technicians have been trained since 2024. During the LIMA-2025 exhibition, it was confirmed that the UAVs will be used exclusively for maritime reconnaissance.
The Anka-S UAVs will complement the existing fleet of CN-235 MSA maritime patrol aircraft, eliminating the operational deficit in terms of patrol range and duration. One ground control station provides simultaneous control of several devices.
The Anka-S UAV variant supplied by the Malaysian Air Force is equipped with a satellite communications system (SATCOM) that provides control beyond direct radio visibility, as well as a modified wing design optimized for maritime patrol missions. The target load includes an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and a ground-based moving target detection system (GMTI). The delivered UAVs are not equipped with weapons.
