TAI Aksungur

TAI Aksungur Story

Like China, Turkey wholeheartedly embraces many local initiatives related to the design, development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for various roles in the military, law enforcement, border/national security and national intelligence , to cover this has led local industry players such as Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to accelerate programs such as "Anka" and provide the Turkish Armed Forces and other service services/sectors with powerful unmanned aerial systems. Launched in 2013, Anka is currently part of the Turkish Air Force and General Directorate of Security.

Twin Arm Twin Engine evolved from the Anka frame, designed to provide wider duty support for Turkish ammunition, as well as a tactical role on the battlefield. This is "Aksungur" in prototype testing as of this writing (2019).

The second prototype was shown at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul to generate interest in the new product.

The design features a straight wing plane with a slightly tapered trailing edge and a winglet at the end. The wings are mounted high along the central fuselage section, which contains avionics, various camera and sensor systems, and fuel storage. The nose has a chin-mounted "bubble" camera that rotates 360 degrees and a typical spherical body.

Dual booms spanned the sides of the fuselage and were fastened beyond the root of the wings, each mounted with an engine nacelle driving a three-bladed propeller unit in a puller configuration. The legs taper towards the rear and end with vertical fins. The fins are connected at their base by a common tail.

The aircraft uses three-wheel landing gear for ground operation, and all three legs are single-wheeled. The nasal bones are tucked under the nose, and the main legs are tucked under and behind each engine nacelle.

Currently, the press release states that the aircraft has a mission duration window of approximately 24 hours at an altitude of 40,000 feet. Early models were powered by a German Thielert "Centurion" 4-cylinder 170-horsepower model, but plans were eventually made to use local Turkish industry and produce a similar 170-horsepower turbodiesel design.

It is hoped that an engine in excess of 220 hp will be achieved by the end of the project.

Aksungur is currently (2019) undergoing flight testing and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. The tests included ammunition assembly and the delivery of Turkish Army weapons on the battlefield. The plan is to bring Aksungur to the mass market sometime in 2020. In addition to the basic drone offering, two different production versions are planned: a model focused on SIGnals InIntelligence (SIGINT) with additional sensors and equipment, and a Maritime Patrol (MP) model that supports Sonobouy's Maritime Remote Operations ) Model.

Well surface search radar.

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