Turkish Aerospace expands Anka 3 production with new line for upgraded drone

The Anka 3 (Courtesy of Turkish Aerospace Industries)

ANKARA — Turkish Aerospace has completed construction of a second production line for its Anka 3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that is scheduled to open in November, a company official told Breaking Defense.

The new production line will manufacture a new variant of the Anka 3 drone that features a larger airframe and an expected payload capacity of 1.75 tons, up from about 1.3 tons on the original platform. According to the Turkish Aerospace official, the upgraded aircraft will be able to carry more munitions to meet new national requirements.

During a visit to the company’s Ankara facility on Wednesday, the official said the second production line will allow Turkish Aerospace to produce one Anka 3 every five months. The first aircraft to be built on the new line is expected to roll out “soon” and undergo flight testing afterward, they added.

The Anka 3 is a combat drone designed for strike and other missions. The aircraft can reach high-subsonic speeds and operate at altitudes of up to 40,000 feet, according to Turkish Aerospace.

The Turkish armed forces ordered 80 Anka 3 UCAVs, with first delivery expected in 2027.

Media were invited to cover Atış Serbest exercise in Turkey and tour facilities of five defense firms: Aselsan, Turkish Aerospace, Asfat, MKE and Roketsan. Breaking Defense accepted travel and accommodation from Turkish Ministry of Defense.

During the media tour, reporters had a closer look at the first prototype of the original Anka 3 drone, which is currently in flight testing.

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In the same hangar, eight Anka medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs were on display at different stages of the final assembly process. Some were missing their fixed wings, while others were seen without parts of their fuselages. A ninth Anka was being prepared for test flights, according to the company official. Aksungur multirole MALE drones were also on display.

Just next to the Anka 3 prototype were Turkish Aerospace’s newly unveiled Ayaz turbojet-powered one-way attack UAV and the company’s Super Şimşek kamikaze drone. Both systems “successfully conducted dive attacks and struck their targets during the Atış Serbest exercise, marking their first use with live warheads,” the company official told Breaking Defense.

The visit also included a tour of Turkish Aerospace’s final assembly line of helicopters, including T70 utility helicopters, T129 Atak helicopters and T625 Gökbey utility helicopters.

The company’s KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet was not on display during the visit, but company officials said that prototype 1 (P1) was being prepared for flight testin g. In 2024, the initial KAAN prototype (P0) made its maiden flight , and Turkish Aerospace will be testing the P1 — the first jet to be delivered to the Turkish armed forces — soon.

The Hürjet trainer and light-attack aircraft were also absent from the display. Spain has signed an agreement to purchase 30 Hürjet aircraft, and Turkish Aerospace CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu said Tuesday that Madrid is planning to buy another 15 trainers .

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安卡3型飞机（图片由土耳其航空航天工业公司提供）

安卡拉——土耳其航空航天公司一位官员告诉《防务新闻》，该公司已完成其安卡3型无人作战飞行器（UCAV）第二条生产线的建设，该生产线计划于11月投产。

新的生产线将生产安卡3无人机的改进型，该机型机身更大，有效载荷预计可达1.75吨，高于原平台的约1.3吨。据土耳其航空航天公司官员称，升级后的飞机将能够携带更多弹药，以满足新的国家需求。

周三，一位官员在参观土耳其航空航天公司位于安卡拉的工厂时表示，第二条生产线将使该公司每五个月能够生产一架安卡3型飞机。他还补充说，首架在新生产线上制造的飞机预计“很快”下线，随后将进行飞行测试。

安卡3是一款专为打击和其他任务而设计的作战无人机。据土耳其航空航天公司称，该无人机能够达到高亚音速飞行速度，并在高达40000英尺的高度上飞行。

土耳其武装部队订购了 80 架 Anka 3 无人作战飞行器，预计首批将于 2027 年交付。

媒体受邀报道在土耳其举行的“阿提什·塞尔贝斯特”联合军演，并参观了五家国防企业：阿塞尔桑（Aselsan）、土耳其航空航天公司（Turkish Aerospace）、阿斯法特（Asfat）、MKE和罗克特桑（Roketsan）的设施。Breaking Defense接受了土耳其国防部提供的差旅和住宿安排。

在媒体参观期间，记者们近距离观察了目前正在进行飞行测试的 Anka 3 无人机的首个原型机。

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在同一机库内，八架安卡（Anka）中空长航时（MALE）无人机正在展出，它们处于最终组装的不同阶段。有些无人机缺少固定翼，有些则缺少部分机身。据该公司官员称，第九架安卡无人机正在准备进行试飞。阿克松古尔（Aksungur）多用途中空长航时无人机也同时展出。

在安卡3原型机旁边，是土耳其航空航天公司新近发布的阿亚兹（Ayaz）涡轮喷气式单向攻击无人机和该公司研发的超级希姆谢克（Super Şimşek）自杀式无人机。该公司一位官员告诉《防务新闻》，这两个系统“在‘阿蒂什·塞尔贝斯特’（Atış Serbest）演习中成功进行了俯冲攻击并击中了目标，这是它们首次使用实弹头进行实战演练”。

此次访问还包括参观土耳其航空航天公司的直升机总装线，其中包括 T70 通用直升机、T129 Atak 直升机和 T625 Gökbey 通用直升机。

此次参观期间，该公司并未展出其KAAN第五代战斗机，但公司官员表示，原型机1号（P1）正在进行飞行测试前的准备工作。首架KAAN原型机（P0）于2024年首飞，土耳其航空航天公司即将对P1——交付给土耳其武装部队的首架战机——进行测试。

此次展览中也没有出现胡尔杰特教练机和轻型攻击机。西班牙已签署协议购买30架胡尔杰特飞机，土耳其航空航天公司首席执行官穆罕默德·德米罗卢周二表示，马德里计划再购买15架教练机。

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