Powered by a 155-horsepower diesel engine, the UAV has
a wingspan of 17.3 meters and a composite body eight meters
long.
TAI officials said the ANKA would eventually fly up to
23,000 feet for 23 hours.
Turkey has made smaller UAVs, but this is the first drone
in the MALE category. Turkish procurement officials aim
at full self-sufficiency over the next several years after
having bought Israeli-made Heron MALE drones last year.
In the meantime, Turkey also is seeking to buy armed
MQ-9 Reaper drones from the United States, but it has
not received U.S. approval for the sale.
Turkey's military has used the UAVs mostly against Kurdish
separatists operating in the country's southeast bordering
Iraq and Iran.
