Turkish aerospace industry has made tremendous strides in the field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the military sphere in the past decade and this through several notable high-profile designs (including its TAI "Anka" line detailed elsewhere on this site). The next logical step becomes indigenous design, development, and manufacture of a combat-capable (UCAV) able to deliver precision munitions at altitude and range. This role is set to be fulfilled by the Baykar Makina "Akinci" which was unveiled at its assembly facility in mid-2018. As it stands, the company hopes to record a first-flight in 2020 and begin deliveries in 2021.
The design carries a twin-turboprop propulsion scheme (each engine driving five-bladed propeller units). The engines are set outboard of a centralized fuselage structure. The wing mainplanes are cranked upwards towards the engine mounts and sport winglets at their tips as a fuel-efficiency measure. A single vertical tailfin is featured at the rear of the aircraft. The frontal section of the fuselage houses the optics (Aselsan Cats) and avionics fit. Under each wing will be three hardpoints (totaling six weapon stations in all) and these will be cleared to carry and deliver in-service Turkish Air Force ordnance such as Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) as well as Mk 82-type conventional and precision-guided drop bombs. Full SATellite COMmunications (SATCOM) will be featured in the design. The external carrying capacity is set to become up to 900 kilograms with an internal option for an additional 450 kilograms.
Structurally, the aircraft will have a wingspan reaching between 18 and 20 meters. Performance specs are set to include a service ceiling of up to 40,000 feet with an endurance of 24 hours.
December 2019 - The Akinci UAV completed its first flight on December 6th, 2019, originating from Corfu Airport near Istanbul. The flight covered some sixteen minutes in the air.
Specifications
Year: 2022
Status In-Development
Crew 0
Production 1 Units
Kale-Baykar Makina - Turkey
Turkey (planned)
- Ground Attack
- Close-Air Support (CAS)
- Unmanned
Width:
65.62 ft (20 m)
Empty Weight:
9,921 lb (4,500 kg)
MTOW:
14,330 lb (6,500 kg)
(Diff: +4,409lb)
(Showcased weight values pertain to the Bayraktar Akinci production model)
2 x TEI PD170 turboprop engine developing 550 horsepower and driving five-bladed propellers in puller arrangement.
Max Speed:
186 mph (300 kph; 162 kts)
Service Ceiling:
40,026 feet (12,200 m; 7.58 miles)
Max Range:
7,146 miles (11,500 km; 6,210 nm)
(Showcased performance values pertain to the Bayraktar Akinci production model; Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database)
Internal mission payload of up to 450 kilograms and external weapons payload of up to 900-950 kilograms.
Planned support for 2 x Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) held underwing as well as 4 x Mk 82 series conventional drop and laser-guided / precision-guided bombs.
(Showcased armament details pertain to the Bayraktar Akinci production model)
Akina - Base Series Name
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry. The rating is out of a possible 100.
44
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 200mph
Lo: 100mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (186mph).
Graph average of 150 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LDN
LDN
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MSK
MSK
TKY
TKY
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Bayraktar Akinci operational range when compared to distances between major cities.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
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Turkey (planned)
