Uzbekistan is set to receive deliveries of TAI ANKA combat drones from Turkey within coming days, according to local reports published on January 30.

News of Uzbekistan’s ANKA drone order came after reports that Linden Blue, CEO of US defence contractor General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI), has urged Elon Musk to help address competitive disadvantages faced by US military drone manufacturers said to have been caused by sluggish American bureaucracy. Blue highlighted the dominance that competitor countries, particularly Nato member Turkey, but also Israel and China, have gained on the world drone market. 

The ANKA family of unmanned combat vehicles (UAVs) was developed by state arms company Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI, or TUSAS) primarily for the Turkish Air Force. The drones were initially created for surveillance and reconnaissance missions but TAI went on to develop them as modular platforms with precision-guided weapons, including anti-tank missiles, and satellite communication.

Also billed as boasting advanced radar systems, the ANKA drones have been formally procured by the Turkish Air Force since 2013. They carry MAM-L ammunition made by Turkey’s Roketsan. Later models, including the Anka-B and Anka-S, have incorporated advanced features such as a national mission computer and a friend-or-foe identification system. 

The Anka-I model, tailored for the sole use of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), specialises in signals intelligence.

By March 2021, ANKA drones had surpassed 90,000 operational flight hours.

Turkey’s share of the global drone export market stands at 65%, according to US-based think tank Center for a New American Security. Turkish company Baykar, the maker of the globally-renowned Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, is alone said to hold nearly 60% of the market – three times the size held by its closest US competitor.

The Turkish Air Force is thought to have deployed ANKA drones against Kurdish militia in Iraq and Syria.

Last October, the Kurdish separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) launched a terror attack on TAI’s headquarters in Ankara. Five people were killed.

The number of ANKA drones Uzbekistan has ordered from TAI, their cost and contractual details have not been disclosed.

In 2022, Uzbekistan introduced its civilian and military UAV Lochin, which can perform vertical takeoff and landing. 

In the civilian world, drones can be used for purposes including aerial photography, mapping, surveying, terrain modelling and infrastructure inspection. 

In 2024, US News ranked Uzbekistan 19th globally in military strength. It was the highest ranking attained by a Central Asian country.