Egypt raises the Anka while it waits for Predator approval
As Egypt awaits clearance from Washington for its bid to purchase Predator unmanned air vehicles, Turkey has stepped in to offer the Anka UAV made by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)
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The name of the UAV Anka is inspired from a mythical flying creature Anka. Israeli officials familiar with UAV systems and who have examined the Anka have stated publicly that it is "Similar to the Israeli Heron...of a very advanced design...undoubtedly "inspired" by Israeli systems that Turkey had access to".
Turkey leased Heron UAVs from Israel and, in the wake of the controversy when an Israeli navy confronted a "peace flotilla" that sailed from Turkey for the Gaza Strip in 2010, Turkey refused to return them
The Turkish Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) vehicle development was accelerated after Turkey cut all defence relations as a result of that incident. Now Egypt has agreed to purchase 10 of the type
TAI says the developmental Anka can carry a payload of 250kg (550lb) for 24 hours. Maximum take-off weight is 1,500kg.
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