Akinci: Spotlight on the drone Morocco wants to acquire

Morocco’s interest in drones continues to grow. For several years, the kingdom has purchased various models from the United States, Israel, China and Turkey. This time, the kingdom has set its sights on the Akinci drone, manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar. In April 2021, Morocco received a first batch of 13 Bayraktar TB2 drones purchased from the same manufacturer for an amount of 58 million euros. A second batch of 11 units of this drone should be delivered shortly to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR).

The Akinci drone entered service in December 2019 and officially joined the Turkish Air Force at the end of August 2021. "With its unique fuselage and wing design, the Akinci drone corresponds to a strategic class platform that can carry a variety of payloads. It is equipped with avionics including dual artificial intelligence that supports signal processing, sensor fusion and real-time situational awareness," explains the manufacturer in the datasheet.

With its 4 meters in height, 12 meters in length and 20 meters in wingspan, the Akinci drone is currently one of the most modern and advanced on the market. Thanks to its sensors, it can take off and land autonomously and has a navigation system based on pre-programmed routes, very useful for espionage or patrols. It has a maximum take-off weight of 6,000 kilograms, of which 1,500 are dedicated to payloads.

Equipped with a pair of 750 horsepower turboprop engines, it can cruise at a speed of 277 km/h and a maximum speed of 361 km/h. The Akinci drone is also equipped with two satellite communication systems, an air-to-air radar, a collision avoidance radar and a synthetic aperture radar. It can be installed on the F-16. The Akinci drone’s endurance can reach 24 hours at a maximum altitude of 12,192 meters, depending on weather conditions and load. In addition to Morocco, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia are interested in this drone already acquired by Libya and Pakistan.