Bayraktar Akinci is popular as a Turkish combat drone that carries two turboprop engines. However, the Akinci is not actually the first two-engine combat drone made by Turkey. If the Akinci produced by Baykar Makina is a private Turkish company, the Turkish aerospace state-owned company, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has already launched a UCAV labeled TAI Aksungur.
Not only was it launched earlier than the Akinci, but the Aksungur has now operational status for the Turkish Navy, with a total of five units. The control technology base used by Aksungur refers to TAI Anka, which was previously offered to Indonesia.
With dimensions that match conventional aircraft, Aksungur is lined up to carry out long-term surveillance missions, signals intelligence, maritime patrols and of course as an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The first unit of Aksungur was delivered to the Turkish Navy on 20 October 2021.
This drone first flew on March 20, 2019. In terms of classification, Aksungur is a MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone. Aksungur has a length of 12 meters, a wingspan of 24 meters and a height of 3 meters. The fuselage is centered under the wing and houses the avionics and sensor systems.
While the camera (FLIR) is mounted under the chin. Like airplanes in general, fuel is stored in the fuselage and wings.
The Aksungur is powered by two front-mounted dual-turbocharged PD-170 diesel engines developed by Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI). The engine is equipped with a three-blade propeller in a tractor configuration.
Aksungur's cruising speed is 250 km per hour and has a cruising range of 6,500 km, and flies with an endurance of 60 hours. The maximum flight height is set at 12,192 meters.
TAI designed to integrate the Aksungur weapon system according to the standards of the F-4 Phantom and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. Three hardpoints are located under each wing for attaching external payloads, such as ammunition or sonar buoys.
Armament for Aksungur is TEBER-81 (Mk-81 laser guided bomb), TEBER-82 (Mk-82 laser guided bomb), LUMTAS, MAM-L, Roketsan Cirit missiles, MAM-C, HGK-3 (precision guided munitions) , torpedoes and mini bombs.
The empty weight of the Aksungur is 1,800 kg and the maximum take-off weight of the Aksungur is 3,300 kg, while the payload is 750 kg.
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