Turkey's ANKA III stealth combat drone has successfully released a smaller autonomous drone while in flight.
The unmanned flying wing aircraft, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries, carried a Süper Şimşek drone under its wing to a designated test area.
After pre-flight checks, the main aircraft released the smaller drone, which separated safely and flew autonomously for 50 minutes before returning to the ground using a parachute system.
The ANKA III is a jet-powered combat drone that made its first flight on December 28, 2023. It measures 7.9 metres long with a 12.5-metre wingspan and has a maximum takeoff weight of about 6,500 kilograms.
The aircraft features a low observability radar design and uses a turbofan engine. It can reach speeds of Mach 0.7, or roughly 787 kilometres per hour, at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
Turkish Aerospace Industries said the drone can operate up to 40,000 feet, stay in the air for up to 10 hours and carry a payload of up to 1,200 kilograms.
Airborne deployment platform
The test demonstrates a system where one drone acts as a transport and deployment platform for other autonomous vehicles, distributing a mission across multiple machines.
The Süper Şimşek drone is designed to be launched from the ANKA III, as well as the manufacturer's AKSUNGUR and ANKA aircraft.
According to the configuration published by the manufacturer, the smaller drone has an announced maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and can reach 35,000 feet.
It has an operating range of up to 900 kilometres, an autonomy of 80 minutes, and can carry up to 50 kilograms of payload.
The Süper Şimşek is designed for roles including electronic warfare and targeting air and ground targets. It also features autonomous flight and swarm operation technologies.
Swarm operations
Using a transport drone allows a primary aircraft to approach an area and deploy secondary vehicles for reconnaissance, electronic interference, or to act as decoys that force air defences to reveal their sensors.
The manufacturer has been progressively expanding the capabilities of the ANKA III since its maiden flight, testing weapons, autonomous flights and operations coordinated with other systems.
The ANKA III includes technology for cooperation between manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as swarm capabilities combined with artificial intelligence.
During initial tests of these capabilities, Turkish Aerospace Industries also demonstrated formation flights of two ANKA III drones controlled from a single ground station.
