Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI), improving its production capacity and marking new successes in recent years, has signed a new export agreement. The bilateral meeting between the Tunisian Ministry of Defense and TAI in 2019 started for the purchase of ANKA UAV. In the first months of 2020, the issues concerning UAV training and financing were clarified and the parties proceeded to conclude the agreement in the negotiations. As reported by Haber Türk on 13 November 2020, TAI will deliver 3 ANKA-S UAVs and 3 Ground Control Systems to the Tunisian Air Force Command.
Turkish EXIMBANK takes over the financing of the export of the first platform aircraft. In the wake of the negotiations, the export program was also kicked off after Tunisia met the conditions for loan and the mutual obligations fulfilled under the contract.
The approximate value of the export agreement between TAI and Tunisian Air Force is $80 million. In addition, after the export agreement, 52 Tunisian pilots and maintenance personnel will be trained at TUSAŞ facilities in Ankara.
ANKA-S
ANKA-S System, designed on the basis of international safety standards with the integration of new generation payloads and through national means, entered the inventory as one of the most competent systems of its class in terms of safety and operational capability with its national flight control computer, aircraft control computer and IFF.
ANKA-S, MALE (Medium Altitude Long Airborne) UAV project was implemented as a sub-type of ANKA UAV systems on October 25, 2013, as part of the production agreement between the Presidency of Defense Industries and Turkish Aerospace Industries. ANKA-S, deriving from ANKA and ANKA Block-B systems, went into service in 2017.
Another feature of the S version is that the system can be controlled from the satellite. Able to be controlled from the satellite, an expanded operatingonal area is created as the control range increases.
ANKA, advanced Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) class Unmanned Aerial System, performs day and night, all-weather reconnaissance, target detection / identification and intelligence missions with its EO/IR and SAR payloads, featuring autonomous flight capability including Automatic Take-off and Landing.
ANKA incorporates a heavy-fuel engine and electro-expulsive Ice Protection System with an Advanced Ground Control Station and dual datalink allowing operational security and ease.
The system is expandable with a Transportable Image Exploitation Station, Radio Relay, Remote Video Terminal and SATCOM.
