Akinci strike UAV

Ukrspecexport, part of the Ukroboronprom State Concern, and the Turkish company Baykar Defense are developing a next generation unmanned aerial vehicle Akinci. "The new generation strike UAV Akinci is being developed in accordance with the requirements of armed conflicts of the 21st century and is intended primarily for both Turkish and Ukrainian armed forces. One of its main advantages is the ability to deliver high-precision strikes with the same weapons that are used on conventional airplanes. We are talking about heavy-duty ammunition weighing hundreds of kilograms," Ukroboronprom's press service said 20 August 2019. According to the state concern, this has become possible thanks to the use of Ukrainian engines, which provide greater carrying capacity, speed and flight altitude, economy and ease of operation.

According to the state concern, this has become possible thanks to the use of Ukrainian engines, which provide greater carrying capacity, speed and flight altitude, economy and ease of operation. Akinci refers to the new "heavy" class of drones. It is equipped with two Ukrainian-made engines that provide flight at an altitude of more than 12 km. The drone has a wingspan of 20 meters, is capable of lifting more than 1,000 kg of weapons into the air and being in flight for a day.

The first demonstration of the new generation Akinci strike unmanned aerial vehicle with a Ukrainian engine - a joint development of Ukraine and Turkey - took place as part of the Teknofest-2019 aerospace exhibition in Istanbul in September 2019. The Baykar Defense Akinci drone is one of the most successful projects in Ukrainian-Turkish defense cooperation. The heavy strike drone Akinci is lifted into the sky by Ukrainian AI450T engines from Ivchenko-Progress. It is noted that the main purpose of Akinci is operational and strategic air reconnaissance, as well as the task of air strikes on enemy targets. This latest drone is based on the Ukrainian-Turkish joint venture Black Sea Shield.

Militants of the Russian occupation forces in Donbass use drones to attack the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as to create fires in front of Ukrainian military positions. Among other violations by the occupiers, the Ukrainian delegation specifically pointed to their use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the area of the demarcation line, in violation of the Additional Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire Regime adopted by the TCG on 22 July.

Ukraine, within the framework of an agreement with the Turkish company Bayraktar on the location of the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the country, is looking for an appropriate site for the enterprise, Deputy Prime Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky said 26 October 2020.

"The Turkish side is ready to make an investment. They need a platform from us meeting the appropriate requirements, on which they will build an enterprise that will eventually produce these vehicles," he said at a press conference in Kyiv. Urusky said that the Turkish side presented such an updated approach recently, and earlier it was ready to start production at one of the enterprises of Ukroboronprom. The deputy prime minister said that Ukrainian engineers and designers will work at the Bayraktar enterprise in Ukraine, and it will receive the right to sell UAVs both in the Ukrainian and other markets.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Turkish news agency Demir�ren said 16 October 2020 that "Turkish drones have proven themselves to the best of their ability. We see that this is truly the pride of your military-industrial complex. This is exactly the type of weapon that can radically change the situation on the battlefield. And we are definitely interested in joint production. There is nothing special to explain, everything is simple. Turkey is showing great success in this direction, and we are buying these products. Ukraine, in turn, produces engines for drones. So launching a joint venture is a natural step."