With inflation over 35%, Pakistan’s economy may be about to fall apart, but that doesn’t stop the country from spending more on military weapons and equipment. Pakistan’s purchase of Turkish Baykar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) for its Air Force is proof of this. The first group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UCAVs) has just been sent to Islamabad.
Last year, more than 40 people from the Pakistan Air Force and their Azerbaijani peers went to Turkey to learn how to use Akinci combat drones. But the number of drones that were bought has not been made public yet.
Akinci, which in Turkish means “Raider,” is a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) battle drone that can fire both air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles. The Akinci drone was flown for the first time in 2021, and the same year it was given to the Turkish Armed Forces.
The length of the drone is 12.2 meters, its height is 4.1 meters, and its width is 20 meters. It can carry up to 1,350 pounds of cargo and can fly as high as 40,000 feet. It uses artificial intelligence to gather and handle data from sensors and cameras on board.
This drone can fire missiles like the Cirit, the mini-smart munition Bozok, the long-range anti-tank missile system (L-UMTAS) missiles, and the guided bombs (JDAM) MK-81, MK-82, and MK-83. It can also be fitted with air-to-air Gokdogan and Bozdogan missiles, as well as SOM-A stand-off missiles and wing-assisted missiles.
At the moment, the National Intelligence Organization (MT) and the Turkish Armed Forces are in charge of the Aknc drone. Five countries, including Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, have bought the Aknc so far.
