The initiative to develop Türkiye's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was launched in 2004. Design and production efforts began in 2007. ANKA rolled out of the hangar and took its first flight in 2010, entering the inventory in 2017.
Türkiye's first unmanned aerial vehicle, ANKA, has become one of the best operational systems in its category worldwide over time.
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) developed the ANKA project to meet the reconnaissance, surveillance, target identification, detection, classification, and tracking needs of security forces.
Over the years, ANKA UAVs have gained multi-role capabilities, including electronic warfare, maritime warfare, air-to-ground attack, and intelligence gathering.
Four different models have been developed: ANKA-A, ANKA-B, ANKA-S, and ANKA-I.
In 2013, ANKA-A was accepted as an armed UAV (SIHA) and conducted its first mission flight in 2016. ANKA-A was followed by ANKA-B, which integrated a national camera and radar system, gaining SIHA capability in 2017. Developed concurrently, ANKA-S was integrated with TÜRKSAT 4B, making it Türkiye's first UAV controllable via satellite. After these three models, ANKA-I, capable of gathering airborne electronic intelligence, was developed. In 2018, TAI integrated its domestically developed, national engine into ANKA.
The produced UAVs and armed UAVs (SıHAs) have undertaken many important missions under the command of the air, land, and naval forces.
The Turkish Armed Forces and MIT have used them in cross-border operations and counter-terrorism efforts. They have played an active role in police and gendarmerie operations. Beyond military missions, they have also been used in disaster response efforts, such as fires and earthquakes, and continue to be deployed for such events.
Over time, dozens of ANKAs have been produced and included in defense and security inventories. The total production target has been set at 140 by the end of 2024. The export process, which began with Tunisia, has continued with friendly and allied countries such as Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
TAI has updated its UAV objectives. Using the ANKA platform, they developed AKSUNGUR, which has a high payload capacity. The accumulated engineering expertise accelerated the path toward the Unmanned Combat Aircraft ANKA-3. ANKA-3 conducted its maiden flight on December 28, 2023, which was fully autonomous, including an automated landing.
