• Defence Notes

  Experts expect ‘crawl, walk, run,’ process to make Skyborg a success

  9th October 2020

  In light of debate surrounding how well-suited loyal wingman aircraft are in competing against IADS and hypersonic missiles, analysts are confident the systems will eventually prove themselves in contested environments.

• Naval Warfare

  ​HMAS Choules gains visual landing aid

  6th October 2020

  The system can be upgraded to support automated UAV landing systems in future.

• Naval Warfare

  Drills reflect Iranian emphasis on unmanned and anti-ship capabilities

  29th September 2020

  As the dust settles from the Zolfaghar-99 large-scale military exercise, which took place from 10-12 September around the Strait of Hormuz, it is possible to …

• Air Warfare

  Secretive Chinese air-launched ballistic missile is spotted

  21st October 2020

  Tantalising imagery of a new Chinese air-launched ballistic missile has appeared for the very first time

• Air Warfare

  Tie-up strengthens Spanish input for European programmes, say Tecnobit and UAV Navigation

  16th September 2020

  Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía and UAV Navigation have signed a strategic collaboration agreement, with a view to augmenting the Spanish contribution to major European military aviation developments …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Akinci UCAV programme progresses with latest tests

  7th September 2020

  The second prototype of the Akinci UCAV, developed by Turkish manufacturer Baykar Makina, successfully performed high-altitude and high-speed tests on 5 September. This followed the first …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IAI claims landmark achievement for civil-military UAV integration

  18th September 2020

  Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel has become the first in the world to handle a UAV arrival alongside commercial traffic in civilian airspace. A …

• Air Warfare

  Air Warfare magazine: loyal wingmen, the future of air power and more

  7th October 2020

  Read the latest edition of Air Warfare for free in our app or on your desktop. What's inside this edition: Comment In mid-September, the defence …

• Defence Notes

  PODCAST: Asian procurement updates, Turkish missiles and hybrid tech for British Army

  4th September 2020

  Welcome to Episode 35 of the second series of The Weekly Defence Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. Sign up to an early email alert …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Russia tries to close MALE UAV gap

  9th September 2020

  Russian manufacturer Kronstadt Group unveiled important developments in domestic UAV technology in late August, during the Army 2020 exhibition near Moscow. In particular, three platforms …

• Training

  Added training to meet USMC Force Design 2030

  30th September 2020

  The US Marine Corps (USMC) is well on the way to defining a new structure under the terms of its Force Design 2030 vision according …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IAI acquires 50% of BlueBird Aero Systems

  24th September 2020

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has agreed to acquire 50% of the equity of UAS developer BlueBird Aero Systems, the company announced on 24 September. In …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Hermes takes flight off the UK coast

  11th September 2020

  Elbit Systems announced on 11 September that its Hermes 900 MALE UAV has successfully completed a series of flight demonstrations for the UK Maritime and Coastguard …

• Defence Notes

  PODCAST: Terminator-style research, Polish UAV wingman and spotlight on Japan

  11th September 2020

  Welcome to Episode 36 of the second series of The Weekly Defence Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. Sign up to an early email alert …

• Naval Warfare

  Turkey presses on with indigenous anti-ship missile development

  26th August 2020

  The latest test firing for Atmaca long-range anti-ship missile was conducted last month at the Sinop range on the Black Sea coast. Shephard understands that …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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

  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 - 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

  Anka-S [Malaysia]

  Programme 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 ...

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

  Anka-S [Kazakhstan]

  Programme Background In 2018, Shephard reported that TAI had made another effort to promote its products to Kazakstan. Three years before a contract was noted, Tamer ...

• 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

  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 ...

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

  Anka-S (Additional Units) [Malaysia]

  Programme Background First Three Drones Following years of exploring MALE UAVs and a few failed efforts, the RMAF clarified it wanted to acquire the three ...

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

  Forpost-R (Russia)

  Programme Background First Contract Recognising the value of tactical UAS during its operations in Syria, the Russian MoD identified a requirement for additional tactical UAVs. ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 (Qatar)

  Programme Background In 2018 at DIMDEX, it was revealed that Qatar had bought six Bayraktar TB2 UAVs from Turkey. The deal also included three ground control stations, ...

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

  Anka-S [Indonesia]

  Programme Background Requirement Indonesia wanted to acquire or produce a MALE UAV to operate at different air bases around Indonesia to cover the archipelago.  Procurement Over Production Early ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Iraq]

  Programme Background Purchase Announcement Cuma Inad Sadan, the Iraqi Defence Minister, announced in August 2021 that the country had agreed to purchase an unknown number of ...

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 ...

• 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, ...

• 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

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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. 

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  İhtar

  The İhtar anti-drone system consists of a radar, EO and jamming systems designed to counter mini-UAS and is available in fixed and deployable configurations. It ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Rotary Wing Cargo UAV

  Displayed at Paris Air Show 2023, the Rotary Wing Cargo UAV is a cargo-carrying and ISR drone manufactured by Turkish Aerospace (TAI). Powered by a ...

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

  Anka-I

  Anka-I is a SIGINT/COMINT variant of Turkey’s Anka-S and is operated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. The COMINT capability allows operators to track, geolocate and ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Saka

  Designed for ISR missions, the Saka is a micro-UAV manufactured by Turkish manufacturer Aselsan. With an MTOW of 600g, the rotary-wing quadcopter is easily transportable ...