Various configurations of Akıncı UAVs to be fitted with various Ukrainian engines
Turkish-based company Baykar Makina, whose strike UAVs are in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, will install various engines manufactured by Ukraine’s Ivchenko-Progress and JSC Motor Sich on various configurations of Akıncı drones.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Baykar Makina CEO Haluk Bayraktar.
“We started with АІ450 and its power is 459 horsepower. Akıncı as a platform has different configurations. We have maritime version, intelligence version, and bomber version. These different configurations need different engine specs. МS500 and АІ450 are for different configurations,” said Haluk Bayraktar.
According to him, fitting the Akinci with Ukrainian-made engines will be a good promotion for Ukrainian manufacturers, while cooperation in this area will strengthen relations between the two countries.
“We also believe in the Turkish-Ukrainian strategic relations. MS500 is a new engine on the market, and the Akıncı platform is well-known worldwide right now and it has just a few competitives on the market. So it promotes the engine as well. And it is a clear benefit for the relations,” said Baykar Makina CEO.
As reported earlier, this month as part of the SAHA Expo in Istanbul, new contracts were signed between Ivchenko-Progress and Motor Sich on the Ukrainian side and Turkey’s Baykar Makina for the supply of engines.
It should be recalled that in August 2021, the first Turkish UAV Akıncı powered by a Ukrainian-made engine was solemnly handed over to Turkey’s security forces for further use.
im