Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 30
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey is able to develop its military industry, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, TV channel TRT Haber reported on Nov. 30.
According to Erdogan, soon Turkey will start production of domestic helicopters. Erdogan also said Ankara will export unmanned airborne reconnaissance vehicles after the start of their serial production.
In September it was reported that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization instructed the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) to create a project of a new unmanned airborne reconnaissance vehicles on the type of the U.S.-made unmanned aerial vehicle Global Hawk.
Earlier, Turkey manufactured its first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ANKA. Works on manufacturing of the first Turkish reconnaissance UAVs have been underway since 2004. About 180 engineers have worked on the project.
ANKA is a medium-altitude aircraft having long flight duration. Compared with the Israeli UAV Heron, ANKA has a number of advantages. So, while Heron can raise no more than a 185 kilogram payload to a 30,000 foot altitude, this figure for ANKA exceeds 200 kilograms.
The Turkish military industry has recently focused on the development and manufacture of its own products.