Sinop: Turkish company Baykar announced a new test of its Akinci unmanned attack aircraft, stating that the platform successfully struck a maritime target from a distance exceeding 250 kilometers using the supersonic IHA-300 missile developed by Roketsan.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Baykar released a statement indicating that the Akinci drone took off from the training and test center in €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¡orlu, Tekirdag Province, and proceeded to the test area over the Black Sea. The test was conducted off the coast of Sinop, where a direct hit on the maritime target was confirmed.

The company described this test as part of ongoing efforts to integrate long-range munitions onto the Akinci platform. This follows previous integrations of various domestically produced munitions and missiles. The integration process involves incorporating the missile into the aircraft’s system for operation, guidance, and launch, rather than merely carrying the munitions externally.

Akinci had previously utilized a range of munitions, including the MAM family, domestically produced guidance systems, IHA-122 and IHA-230 missiles, the €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¡AKIR missile, and other munitions designed for different roles. This variety is intended to enable the platform to engage both land and sea targets at different ranges.

In addition to the technical achievements, Baykar shared economic data, revealing its projection to reach $2.2 billion in exports by 2025. The company highlighted its substantial revenue from exports, notably from sales agreements for the TB2 model with 36 countries and for the Akinci with 16 countries.

These announcements, based on the company’s statement and Turkish media coverage, underscore the Turkish defense industry’s ongoing initiatives to enhance drone programs through technological advancement and expand its presence in international markets.