Turkish Aerospace’s ANKA III stealth UCAV launched ASELSAN’s Tolun munition for the first time from its internal bay, advancing airstrike capabilities.
According to Turkish Aerospace’s social media announcement, ANKA III, equipped with ASELSAN’s indigenous Tolun munition, conducted the release at an altitude of 20,000 feet while cruising at 180 knots. The UCAV demonstrated advanced operational capabilities by opening its internal bay and deploying the payload.
This internal launch showcased ANKA III’s engineering prowess and operational maturity, underscoring its ability to perform stealth strikes by maintaining a low Radar Cross Section (RCS) until the strike moment. The ANKA-III features a flying wing (delta wing geometry) design characterised by its flat structure and lack of vertical surfaces or axes. This configuration grants the aircraft a potentially low radar cross-section (RCS), but it lacks agile manoeuvrability in return. This milestone marks a critical step toward fulfilling the need for surprise attack capabilities in modern combat scenarios.
ASELSAN’s Tolun munition has also achieved a key design objective through this test.
ASELSAN's Aselflir 500 payload was not included in the UCAV. Tolun hit the target with success. ANKA-III is expected to serve primarily as a deep-strike aircraft, leveraging the advantages of its flying wing design. Subsequent configurations are anticipated to support air-to-air missions and later Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electronic Support (ES) roles.
Like Anka III, Kaan's 5th generation fighter aircraft has an internal bay. The experience gained during the Anka III / Tolun ammunition launch will most likely be used at Anka III.
