Indonesia signs contract to procure Anka UAVs

The TUSAŞ Anka unmanned aerial vehicle is designed as a medium-altitude long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform. However, it can also integrate smart micro munitions such as the Roketsan MAM-L air-to-surface munition. (Janes)

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that it is in the process of acquiring 12 Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) Anka (Pheonix) medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

In an announcement on its social media account on 31 July, the MoD said the purchase process is marked by the signing of a USD300 million contract with TUSAŞ. The MoD added that the contract was signed on 3 February.

The announcement, which has since been deleted, added that the “contract is currently in the activation process” at the Ministry of Finance (MoF). “The delivery of the 12 Anka UAV units will be carried out 32 months after the contract becomes effective,” the statement said.

The plan for the acquisition potentially satisfies Indonesia's long-stated requirement for a MALE UAV. According to Janes data, Jakarta has been attempting to acquire such a platform since 2017. In February Turkish media reported that Indonesia ordered 12 Anka UAVs. However, Jakarta has not elaborated on its plan for acquisition.

An MoD representative declined to comment on the matter to Janes at the time of publication.

In addition to the procurement of the UAVs and the primary equipment, the MoD said in its statement that the contract also covers additional components such as integrated logistic support (ILS), Ground Support and Test Equipment (GSTE), a flight simulator, and hangar infrastructure. Training as well as a warranty period of 24 months or 600 flight hours (whichever is reached earlier) is also included, the statement added.