Turkey continues to strengthen its army with unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the Anadolu news Agency, yesterday, August 29, at the Chorlu airfield in Tekirdag province, a solemn ceremony was held for the adoption of the latest Bayraktar Akinci reconnaissance and strike UAV by the Turkish army.
Bayraktar Akinci UAV
Image source: aa.com.tr
"Today we welcome the inclusion of the Bayraktar Akinci heavy drone, one of the best in the world, in the arsenal of our army. This is another symbol of our independence. Turkey has become the third leading country that has such technologies. We are determined to make Turkey a leader in the field of unmanned fighter technologies," said Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who attended the ceremony.
The Turkish president puts his autograph on the fuselage of the drone
Image source: aa.com.tr
Akinci UAV (tur. — "Banner Raider") is equipped with two AI-450T turboprop engines produced by the Ukrainian JSC "Motor-Sich". The wingspan of the device is 20 m, the payload weight is 1350 kg (including 450 kg in the inner compartment), the flight duration is up to 24 hours, the working ceiling is 12,000 m. The drone has six suspension points for the MAM-T, MAM-L, MAM-C, Cirit, Mk81, Mk82 and ALCM COM missiles, and is also equipped with a radar with an active phased array AESA antenna, a targeting system from Aselsan, a thermal imager, optical cameras and sensors.
The first flight of the Akinci UAV after its adoption
The first flight of the Akıncı PT-3 as part of the flight testing campaign with ammunition was conducted on April 17 of this year. On April 21, the second test flight with ammunition took place, and on April 22, the first firing took place. As the press service of Baykar reported ,the "smart" ammunition MAM-C, MAM-L and MAM-T, created by the Turkish company Roketsan, hit all the designated targets.
