• Defence Notes

  Turbojet expertise evolves in Turkey

  1st December 2021

  Experience gained in Turkey during the development of the KTJ-3200 turbojet engine may accelerate the design and construction of the new Arat engine, which will have lower fuel consumption and higher thrust.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Colombia set to receive two more Coelums

  13th December 2021

  Domestic UAV production for the Colombian Air Force is firmly on the agenda.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  General Atomics trusts in Mojave UAV investment to disrupt SOF market

  17th December 2021

  General Atomics has grand ambitions for its newest UAV Mojave and is backing itself to secure orders from SOF operators.

• Digital Battlespace

  US firms team up for ruggedised UAV swarm C2

  9th December 2021

  Air Commons – Swarm technology enables C2 tasking, mission planning and the creation of air tasking orders.

• Air Warfare

  Simsek target drone bares its teeth

  11th November 2021

  Turkish Aerospace has converted a target drone into a kamikaze aircraft — but there is no sign yet of a timeline for entry into service.

• Defence Notes

  Interesting times beckon in unstable 2022 (Opinion)

  28th January 2022

  As the international security situation shows no sign of improving, the UK must balance its constrained defence resources against geostrategic priorities to support regional and global allies.

• Air Warfare

  Niger becomes first export customer for Hürkus

  22nd November 2021

  A decades-long export drought for Turkish fixed-wing aircraft is set to come to an end.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aussie Triton production stays on track, says Northrop Grumman

  17th December 2021

  Manufacturer Northrop Grumman has passed a milestone in the RAAF MQ-4C Triton programme.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Sukhoi refines Okhotnik design

  15th December 2021

  A flat jet thrust nozzle on the S-70 Okhotnik is designed to reduce the UCAV’s radar cross-section.

• Land Warfare

  Turkish UGV evolution fails to ease official impatience

  22nd November 2021

  Despite a recent raft of LoIs for medium and heavy UGVs, the head of the Turkish defence procurement agency SSB is urging a faster pace.

• Defence Notes

  Electric Sky to test long-distance power transmission for UAVs

  8th December 2021

  DARPA persists in funding research into extending the power range and mission endurance of UAVs.

• Defence Notes

  Israel and Morocco reap rewards from warmer relations

  9th December 2021

  Morocco is set to procure an array of Israeli defence equipment under a recently signed MoU — what is Rabat hoping to achieve?

• Naval Warfare

  Indonesia launches fifth missile boat

  10th December 2021

  Progress is made in Indonesia on fast attack craft, tank landing ships and OPVs.

• Training

  Taiwan receives second advanced jet trainer

  23rd December 2021

  More T-5 trainers are set to roll off the production line next year, with the first two handed over in late 2021. The MQ-9B purchase is yet to go through, however.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Insitu Pacific continues ScanEagle sustainment

  6th December 2021

  Three-year extension continues maintenance and training support for the ScanEagle UAS in Australia.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB3 [Turkish Army]

  Background Land Forces Command Delivery In late October 2024, Haluk Bayraktar, Baykar's CEO, stated that the Bayraktar TB3 had entered mass production and could be exported ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Aksungur [Turkish Air Force]

  Programme Background First Flight & Contract Award The platform's maiden flight was completed on 20 March 2019, and it was first publicly shown at IDEF ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Cargo UAV (Turkey)

  Programme Background Inception & Requirment Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) initiated a programme to procure VTOL-capable cargo drones in June 2018. These were planned for ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Hermes 900 Replacement [Chile]

  Background Hermes 900 purchase According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), three Hermes 900 were ordered in 2011 and delivered in 2013.  Continued ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 (Turkey)

  Programme Background  Selection The Turkish Armed Forces are purchasing large numbers of UAVs from Turkey's domestic defence industry to perform ISTAR missions and provide troops ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Aksungur [Turkish Navy]

  Programme Background First Flight & Contract Award The platform's maiden flight was completed on 20 March 2019, and it was first publicly shown at IDEF ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Anka-S (1-3) [Malaysia]

  Background Inception Malaysia's desire to acquire a MALE UAV dates back to 2009, when it announced it would be the first country in the region ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Baha [Turkiye]

  Background Induction The Turkish Land Forces Command inducted an unknown quantity of Baha aircraft into service, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced on 25 ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Songar (Turkey)

  Programme Background Requirement The Turkish MoND was considering adopting several micro and mini UAVs to equip the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). One of the systems ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB3 [Turkish Navy]

  Background Anadolu Class LHD The Anadolu-class LHD consists of one Multipurpose Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD) being built for the Turkish Navy, TCG Anadolu. The vessel was ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Anka-3 [Turkey]

  Background Order Announcement Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu, in a statement at SAHA Istanbul's SAHA Chat program in January 2026, stated that, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Turkey]

  Programme Background Unveiling & Testing Unveiled at TEKOFEST Istanbul Aviation, Space and Technology Festival in September 2019, the Akinci completed its first flight in December 2019. In June 2021, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Anka-S [Kazakhstan]

  Background Promoting Products In 2018, Shephard reported that TAI had made another effort to promote its products to Kazakhstan. Three years before a contract was ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Indonesia]

  Programme Background Naval Ambition The Indonesian Navy Admiral Muhammad Ali announced an initiative to purchase Turkish UCAVs as part of a broader strategy to enhance and develop ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Aksungur [Chad]

  Programme Background According to SavunmaSanayiST, reporting in April 2024, Chad received two Aksungur drones in 2024 following the Central African country's purchase of the Anka-S and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  PD170

  The PD170 is a turbodiesel engine initially developed to meet the engine requirement of Turkish Aerospace Industries' indigenous Anka UAV. Development began in December 2012 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Kargi

  The Kargi is an in-development loitering munition that Lentatek has developed in collaboration with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK), Aselsan and Turkish Aerospace ...

• UAS: flight control systems, UAS: Integrated systems - uncrewed

  UAV Flight Control Computer

  The UAV Flight Control Computer is being developed by the Turkish Defence manufacturer Meteksan Savunma Sanayi for remotely controlling uncrewed operations. It comprises a Central ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Aksungur

  The Aksungur is a twin-engined MALE UAS manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for the Turkish Armed Forces. TAI completed the platform's maiden flight on 20 March ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Bulut

  Launched in early 2025, the Bulut is a VTOL-capable small UAV from Havelsan. A development of the Baha, the drone is equipped with an electro-optical (EO), infrared, ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Sungur

  The Sungur missile is a Turkish-developed, short-range air defence system designed to protect mobile and stationary units against aerial threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Anka-S

  Anka-S is a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) designed to meet the requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces. The system has also been exported ...

• Artillery rockets

  TRG/TRLG-122

  The TRG-122 is a Turkish 122mm family of guided artillery rockets developed by ROKETSAN for the T-122 Sakarya and other MLRS platforms. The family includes ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Efe

  Efe is a lightweight, fixed-wing UAV designed for target acquisition. The platform was launched in 2006. 

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AI-450

  The AI-450 is a Ukrainian engine developed by Ivachenko-Progress, with Motor Sich acting as the production partner to supply parts and components. The turboprop engine ...

• Trainer

  Hurkus

  Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defence Industries signed an agreement with Turkish Aerospace Industries in March 2006 for the Hurkus Turkish Basic Training Aircraft development programme. Three ...

• Air: UAS radar

  OKIS Automatic Take-off and Landing System

  The OKIS Automatic Take-off and Landing System by Turkish Meteksan Defence Inc. is a radar-based system designed for the automatic take-off and landing processes of ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  İhtar

  The İhtar is an anti-drone system manufactured by Aselsan. It is designed to counter mini and micro-UAS threats in urban and rural environments. It detects and tracks ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  PD-222ST

  The PD-222ST is a turbodiesel engine manufactured by Turkish Engine Industries (TEI). The engine is an upgraded, single turbo version of the PD-170; the PD-222ST is ...

• Loitering munitions

  Alpagu

  The Alpagu is a fixed-wing loitering munition developed by STM. The loitering munition comes in several variants, has been designed for lightness and portability, and is ...