Turkish Aerospace has run a flight test of its Anka III stealth drone that included the release of its Tolun glide bomb from an internal weapons bay.
This successful test is the first time in Türkiye that a domestically-developed aircraft has released munitions in such a way.
The delta-wing Anka III drone made its first flight December 28, 2023 and is designed for low observability, high speed, while offering substantial payload capacity. The drone has already performed external munition releases from its wing stations
The drone was equipped with the Tolun weapon developed by Aselesan. The Tolun is a glide bomb controlled by GPS and inertial navigation with a range of 160 miles (100km).
Anka III reached an altitude of 20,000ft during the test flight and a speed of 207mph (333km/h). The Tolun successfully struck its target with millimeter-level precision, said Turkish Aerospace.
Mehmet Demiroğlu, the CEO of Turkish Aerospace said, “This first internal weapons bay release by Anka III reflects our vision of independence and innovation in the defense sector. Thanks to Turkish Aerospace’s dedicated efforts and national engineering capabilities, our country continues to make its mark in the fields of aviation and space.”
With a takeoff weight of approximately 7 tons, Anka III can operate at altitudes of 40,000ft and reach speeds of 537mph (865km/h) thanks to its turbofan engine. The drone is designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and strike missions, and ts survivability is enhanced by a reduced radar cross-section and internal weapons bays.
