TSAMTO, April 30. The implementation of the contract for the sale to the Tunisian Armed Forces of medium-altitude UAVs of long flight duration (MALE) "Anka-S"was confirmed.
During a video report aired on the Turkish TV channel TRT Haber, one of the Anka-S UAVs with the designations of the Tunisian Air Force and the tail number " 42 " was identified at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) enterprise in Kahramankazan (Ankara province).
As previously reported by TSAMTO, after lengthy negotiations at the end of 2020, TAI reached an agreement to supply the Tunisian Air Force command with three Anca-S UAVs and three ground control points. Within the framework of the contract, about 52 pilots and technical specialists will receive the necessary training at TAI enterprises in Turkey. The export contract will be financed through Turk Eximbank. The sale price is estimated at $ 80 million. According to TAI, the number of UAVs ordered by Tunisia may increase in the coming years.
The Anka UAV developed by TAI made its first flight on October 30, 2010. The device entered service with the Turkish Armed Forces in 2017.
In January 2021, the head of the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate, Ismail Demir, said that five Turkish companies had signed export agreements worth $ 150 million with the Tunisian Defense Ministry. The list of products exported to Tunisia includes: unmanned aerial vehicles, armored vehicles, electronic warfare systems and optoelectronic systems.
In particular, armed UAVs "Anka-S" produced by TAI will be delivered to the Tunisian Armed Forces. This is the first export contract for the sale of this device. BMC, Nurol Makina, Aselsan and Katmerciler also received export orders. BMC will supply the Tunisian Armed Forces with "Kirpi" and "Wuran" armored vehicles with a 4x4 wheel formula, Nurol Makina-Eider Yalcin armored personnel carriers, Katmerciler-armored vehicles and armored tankers, Aselsan-electronic warfare systems and optoelectronic systems.