Morocco in Talks to Acquire Advanced Turkish Akinci Combat Drones

After the 19 Bayraktar TB2 units acquired from Baykar in 2021, Morocco is negotiating a new contract with Turkey for the acquisition of the Akinci attack drone from the same manufacturer, reports Le collimateur.ma. This combat drone entered service with the Turkish forces in 2021. The Azerbaijani, Pakistani and Saudi armies also possess it.

Akinci is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, equipped with dual artificial intelligence avionics and capable of carrying out operations performed with fighter jets in air-to-ground and air-to-air attack missions, says Baykar. This 4.5-ton drone is capable of deploying a payload of 1,500 kg (2,980 lb), including 400 kg (880 lb) internally and 950 kg (2,090 lb) of external payload with a cell equipped with two turboprops.

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Akınci is capable of reducing the load of fighter jets. Equipped with nationally developed air-to-air missiles, it can be used by Morocco in air-to-air missions. The drone’s first engine test dates back to September 1, 2019.