Chad and Algeria decided to procure ANKA-S drones from Turkey, and both countries have placed orders for the type. The ANKA-S armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), like its Turkish counterpart – Bayraktar TB2 continues its export performance in Africa.
Algeria ordered ten Anka-S drones, while Chad has ordered two units of the type. For this reason, TAI is rapidly increasing the capacity of the ANKA production line.
ANKA’s first export customer was Tunisia in 2020. Tunisian Air Force was supplied three ANKA-S Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and 3 Ground Control Stations (YKI) for 80 million USD. The second order from abroad for ANKA was from Kazakhstan, again 3 units. Tunisia likely opted for the ANKA-S thanks to its satellite-linked command and control capability which allows an operator to send command and control data, and mission objectives to six UAVs through the airborne SATCOM antenna and Turkish Armed Forces Communication System (TAFICS). The satellite terminal also allows the operator to change the flight path during flight mode.
ANKA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, developed by TAI with national resources, including day/night and bad weather conditions; It is equipped with payloads for real-time image intelligence, target destruction missions for reconnaissance, surveillance, fixed/moving target detection, identification, identification and tracking.
ANKA UAV can stay in the air for 24 hours at an altitude of 30,000ft and can carry 350+ kilograms of payload. While it is estimated that approximately 50 ANKA SİHAs have been delivered so far, the production activities of the same number continue.
Algiers was prompted to acquire Turkish drones when a Moroccan Bayraktar TB2 was suspected of killing three Algerians in Western Sahara, so Turkey offered to sell drones to Algeria too. In September 2021, Morocco received the first of 13 bayraktar TB2 armed drones it bought for a reported $70m from private Turkish firm Baykar. During months-long negotiations for the drones, Algeria inspected all available Turkish combat drones. Talks progressed with the help of Turkish ambassador Mahinur Ozdemir, a fluent French speaker and political appointee with a direct line to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for when any issues arose.
Algeria has been steadily improving its drone capacity and has acquired a plethora of MALE drones from several countries, particularly from China. Algeria operates Rainbow CH-3, CH-4B, CH-5, and Wing Loong II, as well as several other indigenous UAV types. In October last year, the Algerian Air Force ordered six Aksungur UAVs from Turkish Aerospace, making the north African country the first export customer for the drone.
For Chad, the country is expecting the delivery of three Hürkuş light combat aircraft in the first quarter of 2023 from Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ). The announcement was made at the African Aviation and Defense Fair AAD 2022 in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, and started with the participation of Turkish defence industry companies. TUSAŞ exhibits models of the products it has developed for aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite platforms.
