Page 29 - ADT MAY-JUNE 2022 Online Magazine

feet, as part of tests before induction into the
Turkish Navy.
High Expectations
The country is on schedule with its 5th-Gen
TF-X Stealth Fighter Jet, with the first prototype
expected to roll out in 2023. The jet is sched-
uled to make its maiden flight in 2026 and enter
service in 2029. At the Singapore Airshow ear-
lier this year, TAI displayed a full-scale mock-up [ COUNTRY FOCUS TURKEY ]
of the under-development jet, which is likely
to have takers in the Asia Pacific region. The
company has a growing presence in the region,
having delivered T129 attack helicopters to the
Philippines. A sale of the Hurjet jet trainer to
Malaysia is also on the cards.

The TF-X MMU, which has features similar to
the stealthy Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning
II, is a twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that is
intended primarily for air-to-air missions but
is capable of being deployed in air-to-surface
operations as well. It is being developed to
replace the Turkish Air Force’s F-16 fighters
that will be phased out progressively through-
out the 2030s. The program took off after the
U.S. removed Turkey from the F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter programme following its purchase of
the Russian S-400 air defence system. In
SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED ANTI-AIRCRAFT January 2017, TAI signed an agreement with
SYSTEMS AND ADVANCED ARTILLERY SYSTEMS BAE Systems to develop the fighter jet. Turkey
is reportedly pursuing a deal with Rolls-Royce
AND ARMORED VEHICLES," Selçuk Bayraktar, who runs to co-produce an engine for the jet.
Baykar with his brother Haluk, told Reuters in a recent interview.
"THE WHOLE WORLD IS A CUSTOMER." The project has been hit by delays, but Turkey is
finally making progress on the development of
the Altay main battle tank. Turkish land vehicle
Akinci Makes Waves manufacturer BMC has successfully integrated
Baykar unveiled TB2’s successor - Akinci Unmanned Aerial Vehicle a South Korean engine into the vehicle, having
(UAV) – in 2019; the drone, which is arguably the most advanced signed agreements with South Korean firms
drone that Turkey has produced, has been used by the country’s Doosan Infracore and S&T Dynamics to deliver
military in both air-to-ground and air-to-air attack missions. Wider the tank engine and transmission. Mass produc-
and longer than the TB2, Akinci has a 20-meter-long wingspan tion of the tank with the South Korean engines
and a twisted-wing structure. The drone has a length of 12.2m, is expected to begin within two years. The pro-
a height of 4.1m, and a wingspan of 20m. Capable of carrying a gramme already has an international customer,
maximum payload of 1,350 kilogram and flying at an altitude of with Qatar having signed a billion-dollar con-
40,000 feet (12,192 meters), the drone can be fitted with various tract to purchase up to 100 Altay tanks.
weapon payloads including missiles, long-range stand-off weapons
and laser-guided smart ammunitions, including the long-range air-
to-surface cruise Stand-Off Missile (SOM) produced by Roketsan.
The flight test for the Akinci UAV was completed in May last year,
following which the drone was delivered to the Turkish Armed
Forces in August. While six Akinci drones are part of Turkey’s arse-
nal, the company has already signed a contract with an international
customer for the sale of the UAV. Delivery is expected in 2023. In
May this year, two Akinci drones successfully conducted a five-hour
flight, traveling through three countries, from northwestern Turkey
to Azerbaijan. Earlier this year, Akinci successfully hit a maritime
target using a laser-guided MK-82 bomb from an altitude of 20,000

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