Malaysia will use these drones for Maritime Surveillance missions above the South China Sea
Speaking to Naval News at the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s booth at DSA 2024, the representative said that assembly of the Malaysian Anka-S drones at Turkish Aerospace’s production facility is now underway, with a team of six RMAF personnel now in Turkiye to monitor progress on the program.
The representative declined to comment on the progress of Royal Malaysian Air Force personnel training on the Anka-S, but said that the program was proceeding on the planned schedule. They also declined to comment on the possible timeline for purchases of additional Ankas beyond the 3 currently on contract, but noted that the RMAF was closely watching TAI’s development of the Anka-3 unmanned combat air vehicle.
In response to a question from Naval News, a Turkish Aerospace representative said that negotiations for possible additional purchases were still in the stage of early government-to-government talks.
Earlier, Turkish Deputy Defense Minister Dr Celal Sami Tüfekçi told the Bernama news agency that the Malaysian Anka-S order was on schedule in an interview on the sidelines of the exhibition. According to Dr. Tüfekçi, specialized equipment ordered for the Malaysian configuration is now being installed and Royal Malaysian Air Force personnel now being trained.
Malaysia to use Anka-S for Maritime Surveillance
The Malaysian government signed a contract worth 423.8 million Malaysian ringgit (approximately 89.4 million US dollars) with Turkish Aerospace for three Anka-S UAVs at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition in May 2023, with deliveries of the drones planned to begin in 2025.
While the specific equipment configuration of the Ankas is not currently known, they will be operated solely as a maritime surveillance platform in Malaysian service, and will not be equipped with any weaponry. According to European Security & Defence reporting from LIMA 2023, the Malaysian Ankas will have modified wings to improve their endurance.
Malaysian Anka-S drones are expected to be based at Labuan Air Base in East Malaysia, allowing for persistent coverage of the South China Sea and Malaysia’s maritime border with the Philippines.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force has indicated interest in eventually procuring six more drones of similar capabilities, with a spokesperson telling Janes at LIMA 2023 that two further phased procurements of three drones per phase are planned.
