The AKINCI UCAVs in the footage are AKINCI-A configuration, fitted with Ukrainian AI-450T turboprop engines with a power rating of 450 hp.
A hangar reserved for AKINCI UCAVs of Azerbaijan was recently declared operational. Azerbaijan is among the first customers of AKINCI-UCAVs.
AKINCI UCAV is the next step for the country’s UCAV fleet following the success of Bayraktar TB2 in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. With its larger payload capacity, the UCAV can conduct a wider array of missions compared to the TB2 Armed UAV .
So far, AKINCI has been exported to nine countries in total. Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia are known customers. Most of these countries are also users of the previous UAV Bayraktar TB2.
As AKINCI’s customer count increases, the developments on the UCAV continue. The most recent ones include the sinking of a moving target USV with MAM munitions guided by the new electro-optic ASELFLIR-500 and the first flight of the AKINCI-C variant with two 850 hp turboprop engines.
The UCAV platform will also be modified within the scope of the UAV SOJ electronic warfare UAV project alongside Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) AKSUNGUR UCAV. Modifications will include integrated antennas for electronic warfare and two pods for jamming.
Azerbaijani AKINCI UCAVs Join Military Exercise
