Daily Sabah (Turkey)

Turkish navy gets 2 more modernized Anka drones

- ISTANBUL / DAILY SABAH

TURKISH Naval Forces (DzKK) received two more Anka unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) produced by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the Defense Industries Presidency (SSB) said yesterday.

The ranges of the newly delivered UCAVs were increased, according to the SSB.

The presidency said in a Twitter statement that the UCAVs will maintain their duty of securing the seas surroundin­g Turkey, which is also known as the “Blue Homeland.”

Most recently in August 2020, another Anka drone with a longer range and equipped with an automatic identifica­tion system and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) was delivered to the DzKK.

The Anka, which can be deployed in the Aegean and Mediterran­ean seas with its SAR and camera load for surface reconnaiss­ance and surveillan­ce missions, can gather intelligen­ce from a distant range and above clouds thanks to its new radar system. The system will also be able to identify and pinpoint positions of surface elements. With the imaging modes, intelligen­ce can be gathered from strategic targets such as ports and base areas. It can also detect the speed and location of moving targets thanks to its high-tech search modes.

The UCAV first entered the Turkish military’s inventory in 2016 following the successful testing of a prototype in 2013.

Turkish defense giant Aselsan completed the serial production of the SARPER SAR System, imaging and moving target detection radar developed for aerial platforms, and delivered it to TAI.

One of these systems has been integrated into the Anka, with flight tests carried out to this end.

TURKEY plans to invest a total of $9.3 billion (TL 66.56 billion) in electricit­y distributi­on during the upcoming five-year period, the country’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said yesterday.

Speaking at the 13th Electricit­y Distributi­on Companies Sector Assessment meeting, Dönmez said the planned investment includes $1.5 million in expenditur­e for scheduled maintenanc­e between 2021 and 2025.

Turkey has allocated more than $139 million for R&D activities over the next five years and plans to spend $25.8 million this year, Dönmez said.

The country doubled its investment­s in the electricit­y distributi­on sector in the last five years to $5.6 billion, Dönmez said. And thanks to its modernized power grid infrastruc­ture, he said Turkey was able to provide uninterrup­ted energy even during difficult winter conditions.

Serving approximat­ely 46 million subscriber­s, Turkey also increased the length of its power distributi­on lines by nearly 18,270 kilometers (11.352 miles) to a total of 1.2 million kilometers (745,645 miles).

 ??  ?? TIA’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Anka is on display during Teknofest at Istanbul Airport, Turkey, Sept. 20, 2018.
TIA’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Anka is on display during Teknofest at Istanbul Airport, Turkey, Sept. 20, 2018.

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