It has emerged that a Turkish drone being used by the country’s armed forces in Syria will fly spy missions in the Aegean — a development likely to alarm a Greek government already warning international partners about Turkey’s activities in the region.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have announced that the UAVĀ — called ANKA — will fly reconnaissance missions in the Aegean as well as the eastern Mediterranean.
At eight meters (26 feet) long and with a wingspan of over 17 meters, the ANKA class has retractable landing gear and can carry 200 kilograms of payload.
It is also equipped with an array of electronic listening and viewing equipment, including night vision. The drone can also track multiple targets simultaneously.
The drone reportedly made two flights over both the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday this week.
Turkey has the second-largest military in NATO and has been expanding its range of domestically produced defence equipment through massive state investment.
Greece has called for Turkey to pull back from provocative actions in the Aegean and near Cyprus amid ongoing airspace incursions, incidents at sea and the presence of Turkish warships in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.
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