TAI and NESCOM will be jointly responsible for employment, resource and technology transfer within the scope of the agreement that was inked to expand the markets for the Turkish drones, an Anadolu Agency (AA) report said Saturday.
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) signed the agreement with Pakistan’s National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) on the sidelines of the recent International Defense Industry Fair, held in Istanbul.
One of Turkey’s leading unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) producers, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has inked a contract with Pakistan’s National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) to produce components for TAI’s medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) combat drone, Anka.
TAI General Manager Temel Kotil said, “The contract we made with Pakistan within the scope of our Anka UAV systems will provide significant gains to the UAV industry. This acquisition, especially with Pakistan’s National Engineering and Science Commission, will strengthen our UAVs.”
The Anka UAV performed its maiden flight in September 2016 and entered serial production in 2017.
The drone, which is manufactured locally, is currently in active use by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the Gendarmerie General Command and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
Anka has three configurations. The Anka-S configuration has Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) capability through satellite links and is being used by the TSK and the Gendarmerie units. The Anka-B configuration can use Link Relay capabilities and is also used by the TSK and the Gendarmerie The Anka-I, which is the configuration that performs signal intelligence, is used by the MIT.
In Dec. 2019, TAI has opened its first office in Pakistan at the country’s National Science & Technology Park.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency media outlet reported the agreement aims to “expand the potential market for UAVs and to increase cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey; TAI and NESCOM will be jointly responsible for employment, resource and technology transfer”.
Temel Kotil, an executive of TUSAS, was quoted by Anadolu Agency as saying, “This way, our UAVs will be strengthened. It is very important that we continue our historical brotherhood for the gains of both countries. We will implement the human resources cooperation we have made in the past years in this contract as well. In addition, we will develop production and especially technological developments together.”
Pakistan is interested in installing Turkish-made avionic systems on its the JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter aircraft entering Islamabad’s inventory in 2008 in the longer term. Pakistan also plans to buy 150 JF-17s that it co-produced with China and is considering buying a Turkish-made Electronic Warfare tactical training range simulator worth around $30 million.
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