MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA to Develop Advanced Drone with OE Watch Commentary: On 4 September, Turkish President Erdoğan announced financial support for the country’s (UAV) sector to further advance the development of UAVs. Turkey’s domestically manufactured UAVs have surveilled the Aegean Sea, Syrian airspace and northern , giving Turkey the opportunity to test its indigenous military hardware. The accompanying article provides insight into the joint development of a more advanced UAV by Turkish defense company Makina and Ukraine. Baykar Makina, owned by the family of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law, will develop a “twin-engine, high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drone” called Akıncı with the financial support of the Turkish government. The company already makes the battle-tested TB2, a medium-altitude, long- Armed Bayraktar TB2. endurance drone. Baykar Makina will develop this drone with Ukrainian state- Source: Bayhaluk via Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Armed_Bayraktar_TB2.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0 owned company Ukrspecexport. The article states that since the Turkish defense industry still grapples with developing a functional engine, Baykar Makina will procure Ukrainian “turboprop engines that generate 950 to 1,050 brake horsepower (bhp) from the MS-500V-S family, and AI-450C turboprops that provide 450-630 bhp, and use them with Akıncı drones.” According to the article, Akıncı “will have a wingspan of [over 65 feet] and a maximum takeoff weight of” 9,900 pounds and will “be able to stay aloft for as long as 24 hours and attain an operational ceiling of” 40,000 feet. Furthermore, Akıncı “will be equipped with Aselsan AS-developed mission equipment, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and electronic warfare (EW) and satellite communication systems enabling the platform to operate independently from a ground station.” It will also be able to carry Turkish defense company Roketsan’s “SOM-B2 air-to-surface cruise missile with a range of” 155 miles. The company plans to produce 24 Akıncı drones for the Turkish military and 13 of them for Ukraine by 2021. , and Malaysia are reportedly interested in buying the Akıncı. The author discusses several reasons for Turkey’s ambitious plan to develop this drone despite challenges. First, “Akıncı and SOM-B2 cruise missiles with their long ranges will give Turkey unmanned precision strike capability at a distance of…373 miles.” As such, Akıncı will likely to replace F-16 jets currently operating in northern Iraq against Kurdish militants who Turkey considers terrorists. Additionally, with Akıncı Turkey “will acquire 24/7, low-cost, low-risk aerial surveillance capability over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.” However, Turkey also faces some challenges, such as ensuring procurement of the engine from Ukraine, potential deviations of ammunition loads and center-of-gravity issues arising from Akıncı’s mass and wingspan” and choosing a navigation system. The author asks “Will Akıncı remain linked to GPS or move on to [Russian] GLONASS?” End OE Watch Commentary (Gündüz) “When the Akıncı is in service, Turkey will achieve 24/7, low-cost, low-risk aerial surveillance capability over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.”

Source: Metin Gürcan, “Turkey going full speed ahead with ambitious drone projects,” Al-monitor.com, 19 September 2019. https://www.al- monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/09/turkey-on-full-speed-with-its-ambitious-drone-projects.html

…Turkey’s leading drone producer, Baykar Makina, is teaming up with Ukrainian company Ukrspecexport on Turkey’s twin-engine, high-altitude, long- endurance (HALE) drone called Akıncı (Raider)… The fundamental motive behind Baykar Makina’s joint venture with Ukrspecexport is the eternal engine problem Turkey’s defense industry has been unable to cope with… Baykar Makina will procure turboprop engines from Ukraine that generate 950 to 1,050 brake horsepower (bhp) from the MS- 500V-S family, and AI-450C turboprops that provide 450-630 bhp, and use them with Akıncı drones. …The Akıncı drone will have a wingspan of 20 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of … [9,900 pounds]. It is expected to be able to stay aloft for as long as 24 hours and attain an operational ceiling of… [40,000 feet]. According to the Turkish Defense Industry Management, the Akıncı will be able to carry internal and external payloads as heavy as 450 to 900 kilograms [990 to 1,980 pounds], respectively. The air vehicle will be equipped with Aselsan AS-developed mission equipment, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and electronic warfare (EW) and satellite communication systems enabling the platform to operate independently from a ground station. It will be able to carry a range of external weapons, such as Roketsan MAM-L precision-guided bombs (PGBs), Cirit guided rockets and the latest MAM-C smart munition, which can engage targets up to 8 kilometers [5 miles] away, depending on its launch altitude. More importantly, it will accommodate a Roketsan SOM-B2 air-to-surface cruise missile with a range of 250 kilometers [155 miles] and a selection of PGBs based on the Mk 82 general-purpose bomb. … The company is expected to deliver 24 of the Akıncı drones to the Turkish military in two years and export 13 to Ukraine. Furthermore, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Malaysia are interested in buying the Akıncı. Ankara reveals its vision by defining Akıncı as an “unmanned air-to-surface fighter plane” — more than a drone. Akıncı and SOM-B2 cruise missiles with their long ranges will give Turkey unmanned precision strike capability at a distance of 600 kilometers (373 miles). This means Akıncı will be replacing the F-16 jets currently operating in northern Iraq and in northern Syria against the Kurdistan Workers Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist group. When the Akıncı is in service, Turkey will acquire 24/7, low-cost, low-risk aerial surveillance capability over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. ...Turkey faces three important problems regarding the Akıncı. The first is ensuring continued engine procurement from Ukraine when the drone’s serial production begins. The second is potential deviations of ammunition loads and center-of-gravity issues arising from Akıncı’s mass and wingspan. Finally, Akıncı depends on GPS, which presents a serious risk. Today, the only global alternative to US-controlled GPS is Russia’s GLONASS, which reached full global coverage a couple of years ago. Will Akıncı remain linked to GPS or move on to GLONASS?

OE Watch | November 2019 51