Ankara is preparing the ANKA-3 for air-to-ground and deep penetration missions, while a large fleet of Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles is being feverishly built for dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean-Balkans and Caucasus.
The Turkish ANKA-3 unmanned combat aircraft will have their armament internally, while there will also be support systems for the placement of missiles externally.
ANKA-3 will be powered by a gas turbine engine, while TAI's unmanned combat aircraft will have a maximum take-off weight of around 7 tonnes.
The aircraft, which is in production, has been developed primarily for air-to-ground, deep-strike and destroy/suppress enemy air defense (DEAD/SEAD) missions.
Also, after KIZILELMA's first flight in December 2022, test flights and system integration efforts continue to prepare KIZILELMA for active service.
Turkish media reports: “Integration of KIZILELMA weapons is almost complete. TB-3 Complete Anka-3 Complete & to undergo TCG Anadolu maiden flight now commissioned and operated by the Turkish Navy. Turkiye welcomes the age of air carriers!'
Let us recall that the Turkish mini aircraft carrier for amphibious operations TCG Anadolu was officially handed over to the Turkish navy, which would automatically mean an increase in the threat to our islands in the Aegean, since it can carry 50 TB-3 Bayraktar drones, 10 helicopters and at least one (1) Battalion of Marines fully equipped, along with 13 tanks and 27 ZAHA armored amphibious vehicles.
KIZILELMA is envisaged to be able to take off from short-haul ships such as LHDs and small aircraft carriers such as TCG ANADOLU. This can be credited to its wing loading which is significantly lower than manned fighters.
If it were not for the current KIZILELMA-A variant that uses an AI-25TLT turbofan engine, this option would be possible for the later B and C versions to use the AI-322F afterburner engine, which provides significantly more thrust compared to the AI-25TLT.
What Turkey seeks in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean
Our belief is that, in the run-up to the Turkish elections, Erdogan is enlisting his war industry, which has recently been flooding its website with "accomplishments", some of which are valid, while others are far from being implemented. negatively affecting the former.
At the same time, it seems that the Turks are preparing a large fleet of unmanned aircraft in number and capabilities, to face off in the Aegean, but also with all the countries in the region, taking a hegemonic position in the Eastern Mediterranean.
If all goes well and according to the Turks, the Aegean and the SE Mediterranean will be two areas where TCG Anadolu equipped with these drones will conduct a projection of power in the future.
Greece must "run" even more to cover a part of the arms race with Turkey in the matter of drones, since too much will be decided in this area. We want equipped unmanned aerial vehicles of various types, either of Greek manufacture (the best), or from abroad with capabilities superior to Turkish ones.
Also, maybe we should think about creating a mini-aeronautical Task-Force, with surface ships, submarines, drones and fighter jets with the aim of constantly monitoring the mini-aircraft carrier of the Turks.
We have emphasized that the surface ships of our fleet that will take on this role should be equipped with an anti-drone system mandatorily, both for defensive and offensive reasons if required, and which in the context of the interoperability of the means will overlap the already existing National anti-drone system, which will "cover" the territory of our country from the Triethnes of Evros to Strogili.
And our fighter jets, which will be part of said Task-Force, should be equipped with suitable missiles for obvious reasons.
