The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is taking significant strides towards bolstering its defense capabilities with the acquisition of 12 Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc (TAI, TUSAS) Anka (Named after the mythological creature Zumrud-u Anka (Phoenix) in Turkish) medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According to a now-deleted announcement on July 31, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense revealed that it has signed a contract worth USD 300 million with TUSAS for the purchase. Global open-source intelligence company Janes reported the contract was officially inked on February 3 and is currently undergoing activation at the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (MoF). The delivery of the 12 Anka UAV units is scheduled 32 months after the contract becomes effective.
The acquisition plan effectively addresses Indonesia’s long-standing need for a MALE UAV, a requirement that has been pursued since 2017. While Turkish media reported the order of 12 Anka UAVs back in February, Indonesia has not yet disclosed the specifics of its acquisition strategy. The comprehensive contract includes not only the procurement of the UAVs and primary equipment but also additional components such as integrated logistic support (ILS), Ground Support and Test Equipment (GSTE), a flight simulator, and hangar infrastructure. Furthermore, the statement from the MoD outlined that the contract encompasses training and a warranty period of 24 months or 600 flight hours (whichever is reached earlier).
The TAI Anka is a versatile family of unmanned aerial vehicles initially designed for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance missions by Turkish Aerospace Industries. Over time, the Anka has evolved into a modular platform, equipped with synthetic aperture radar, precision weaponry, and satellite communication capabilities. The Anka series includes variants such as Anka-A, designed for medium-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance missions, Anka-B, Anka-S, and Anka-I, the latter specifically developed for Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization for signal intelligence. The Anka has amassed an impressive track record, boasting over 90,000 flight hours as of March 2021.
The unmanned aerial vehicles comprises three air vehicles (A/V), a ground control station (GCS), a ground data terminal (GDT), an automatic take-off and landing system (ATOLS), a transportable image exploitation system (TIES), a remote video terminal (RVT), and various ground support equipment (GSE). While the TUAV system can support other payloads and missions due to its open architecture, the air vehicle is typically equipped with payloads like Electro-optic color day camera (EO day TV), Electro-optic/forward-looking infrared/laser rangefinder/laser designator and spotter camera (EO/FLIR/LRF/LDS), Synthetic-aperture radar/ground moving target indicator (SAR/GMTI), and Inverse synthetic-aperture radar (ISAR) and air-to-ground missiles.
