March 19, 2012:
Qatar has become the first export customer for the Turkish Bayraktar Tactical UAV. This is a 450 kg (990 pound) aircraft with an endurance of ten hours. It enters service this year. The price for ten Bayraktars Tactical UAVs sold to Qatar was reported to be $25 million.
There is also a Bayraktar Mini UAV which is a 4.6 kg (9.9 pound) aircraft that is battery powered and hand launched. Endurance is 60 minutes and the Bayraktar can operate up to 15 kilometers from the operator. The Turkish Army has been using the Bayraktar Mini for the last six years.
Another Turkish firm has produced the Anka UAV. Looking very similar to the American Predator, the Anka is a 1.5 ton aircraft propelled by a rear facing propeller. Payload is 200 kg (440 pounds) and endurance is 24 hours. A UAV like this would sell for over $2 million each. The Turkish Army is to receive its first Anka this year.
Turkey's government has been booming during the last decade, as a new government made good on its pledge to crack down on the corruption that had long crippled the economy. As the economy grew the government sought to make Turkey more self-sufficient in military equipment.