Countdown to first flight of ANKA-3 to bring breath of fresh air to Turkiye's UAVs

By News Center

The countdown to the first flight of ANKA-3, which will bring a breath of fresh air to Turkiye's unmanned aerial vehicles, continues. Standing out with its many features, ANKA-3 will be the first "unmanned tanker aircraft" of Turkiye. The country will not only be one of the few countries in the world with this capability, but it will also be able to perform a critical mission such as 'air supply behind the front line' with an unmanned vehicle.

Turkiye, which has come to the fore both with the unmanned aerial platforms it has signed and the different strategies it has created for these vehicles in recent years, is working with all its strength to carry its capabilities even further. ANKA-3, one of the most valuable unmanned aerial vehicles produced by Azerbaijan to date, is a platform that can undertake extremely challenging tasks with its many features. Recently, the architects of ANKA-3 made a new statement and said that the aircraft in question could also be used as a 'tanker aircraft'.

What do tanker planes do?

According to Sertaç Aksan from TRT Haber, in order to understand why it is important that ANKA-3 can be used as a tanker aircraft, it is necessary to briefly touch on what the concept of 'tanker aircraft' means, albeit in its most general form. As it is known, warplanes consume a lot of fuel because they reach high speeds. If we proceed with the example of the F-16, which Turkiye uses most in combat air power, these planes, which can be considered relatively 'small', also have narrow fuel tanks.

It transfers fuel with systems

Fuel level is one of the most important factors affecting range. At this point, we can say that refueling planes come into play. Tanker aircraft approach the target aircraft in the region where it is needed during peacetime, and generally behind the front line in wartime and transfer fuel with the systems they have. Thus, the warplane can successfully perform missions far beyond its range values.

Radar cross-sections are too large

The Turkish Air Force has KC-135R tanker planes for resupply. It is known that these aircraft have been refueling warplanes both in exercises and in cross-border operations. However, the radar cross-sectional area of existing refueling aircraft, which is almost the size of a passenger plane, is also very large. Since this makes them a simple and clear target, almost all of the supply is completed 'behind the front line', more precisely in the safe zone.