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Turkey's defense industry keeps growing in 2020

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The first dynamic components and landing gear produced by Alp Aviation for the T70 Utility Helicopter were delivered to TUSAS.

Deliveries of satellite air terminals developed for Anka-S projected have started, which will neutralize threats such as mini drone/micro-UAV and handmade explosives. Aerial terminals will provide Turkish UAVs, such as Bayraktar TB2 and Vestel Karayel with satellite communications.

The supply of air platforms such as Bayraktar TB2 UAV, the Atak helicopter, and the Anka continued during the year.

Turkish UAVs

Turkey has also developed twin-engine medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones like Bayraktar AkÄ ±ncÄ ± and the TAI-made Aksungur, which were designed to carry air-to-air missiles when mass-produced. With a payload of 12 smart ammunition, the UAV Aksungur increased nonstop flight time by staying in the air for 49 hours at an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) during the 59th test flight conducted in September 2020. TAI CEO Temel Kotil on Dec. 31, 2020, said the mass production of the Aksungur started in 2020 and that five UAVs are set to be delivered to security forces soon. Bayraktar AkÄ ±ncÄ ±'s second prototype also successfully passed the 20,000-foot altitude test in August 2020.

The UAVs have been used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in recent conflicts in neighboring Syria against terrorist elements and the brutal Bashar Assad regime.

Turkish drones were used by the Azerbaijani army in Nagorno-Karabakh and were seen action in Libya and Syria. This use has raised questions about whether the relatively cheaper aircraft may eventually replace expensive advanced fighter jets. The answer is no, not entirely.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Sabah, Turkish defense analyst Hakan KÄ ±lÄ ±Ãƒ § said he expects a clear-cut task sharing between UAVs and manned aircraft in the future.

"I think, in the near future, UAVs will even replace electronic jamming aircraft, while the tasks of manned systems will focus on carrying anti-radiation and cruise missiles, heavy bombardment and air to air missions," he said.

Further explaining the tasks of both vehicles and the missions that have been carried out by the UAVs in the field, including the ones dubbed global, KÄ ±lÄ ±Ãƒ § said drones can perform almost all of the tasks executed by larger aircraft "when air superiority is established" and that they "can operate under the air umbrella provided by combat aircraft."

Tellingly the Guardian newspaper most recently reported that the United Kingdom wants to embark on a new armed drone program after studying the success of Turkish Bayraktar drones in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Defense officials believe that Azerbaijan's use of cheaper Turkish drones in the six-week autumn war was crucial in defeating the Armenians," the country's Ministry of Defense officials were cited by the paper as saying. Several independent analysts used drone footage to document the Armenian losses, tallying at least 185 battle tanks.

Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) academics have also calculated the extent of the Armenian Army's material losses in weapons and vehicles during the 44-day war, revealing that $4.8 billion worth of arms belonging to Armenia were destroyed. This, thus, is said to have reshaped the offense-defense balance.

Turkish defense industry risks big damage from US sanctions

The new US sanctions against Turkey over its purchase of Russian air defense systems stand to inflict heavy damage on the flourishing Turkish defense industry unless Ankara moves to compromise with Washington to limit the duration and impact of the penalties.

The sanctions, based on the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), were announced Dec. 14, more than a year after Turkey took delivery of the S-400 systems from Russia. President Donald Trump long under fire for going easy on his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan actually surprised Ankara by green lighting the sanctions weeks before his term expires.

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Author and journalist. Author of Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality; Islam in the Post-Cold War Era; Islam & Modernism; Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America. Currently working as free lance journalist. Executive Editor of American (more...)
 
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