Turkish Aerospace expands Anka 3 production with new line for upgraded drone

ANKARA — Turkish Aerospace has completed construction of a second production line for its Anka 3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that is scheduled to open in November, a company official told Breaking Defense.

The new production line will manufacture a new variant of the Anka 3 drone that features a larger airframe and an expected payload capacity of 1.75 tons, up from about 1.3 tons on the original platform. According to the Turkish Aerospace official, the upgraded aircraft will be able to carry more munitions to meet new national requirements.

During a visit to the company’s Ankara facility on Wednesday, the official said the second production line will allow Turkish Aerospace to produce one Anka 3 every five months. The first aircraft to be built on the new line is expected to roll out “soon” and undergo flight testing afterward, they added.

The Anka 3 is a combat drone designed for strike and other missions. The aircraft can reach high-subsonic speeds and operate at altitudes of up to 40,000 feet, according to Turkish Aerospace.

The Turkish armed forces ordered 80 Anka 3 UCAVs, with first delivery expected in 2027.

Media were invited to cover Atış Serbest exercise in Turkey and tour facilities of five defense firms: Aselsan, Turkish Aerospace, Asfat, MKE and Roketsan. Breaking Defense accepted travel and accommodation from Turkish Ministry of Defense.

During the media tour, reporters had a closer look at the first prototype of the original Anka 3 drone, which is currently in flight testing.

In the same hangar, eight Anka medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs were on display at different stages of the final assembly process. Some were missing their fixed wings, while others were seen without parts of their fuselages. A ninth Anka was being prepared for test flights, according to the company official. Aksungur multirole MALE drones were also on display.

Just next to the Anka 3 prototype were Turkish Aerospace’s newly unveiled Ayaz turbojet-powered one-way attack UAV and the company’s Super Şimşek kamikaze drone. Both systems “successfully conducted dive attacks and struck their targets during the Atış Serbest exercise, marking their first use with live warheads,” the company official told Breaking Defense.

The visit also included a tour of Turkish Aerospace’s final assembly line of helicopters, including T70 utility helicopters, T129 Atak helicopters and T625 Gökbey utility helicopters.

The company’s KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet was not on display during the visit, but company officials said that prototype 1 (P1) was being prepared for flight testing. In 2024, the initial KAAN prototype (P0) made its maiden flight, and Turkish Aerospace will be testing the P1 — the first jet to be delivered to the Turkish armed forces — soon.

The Hürjet trainer and light-attack aircraft were also absent from the display. Spain has signed an agreement to purchase 30 Hürjet aircraft, and Turkish Aerospace CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu said Tuesday that Madrid is planning to buy another 15 trainers.