Iran’s use of Akinci in President’s search shows Türkiye’s trustworthiness

As Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s chopper crash site remained untraceable for nearly 12 hours after his flight disappeared from the radars on Sunday afternoon, Türkiye was quick to step forward and heed the neighbouring country Iran’s request for assistance.

The Turkish government deployed Akinci UAV, one the best drones in its arsenal, and a Cougar-type helicopter equipped with night vision capabilities to aid the search operation.

According to Anadolu news agency, around 03:00 in the night, the Akinci UAV identified a heat source suspected to be the wreckage and promptly shared its coordinates with Iranian authorities.

Iranian officials later confirmed the loss of all occupants, including President Raisi.

The Turkish-made Akinci UAV's success in locating the crash highlights the significant progress in Türkiye's defence industry over the years.

"The answer lies in its strength as the most powerful UAV, equipped with twin-engine turboprop motors, making it a highly capable tool for missions such as this one," Kadir Dogan, a defence technology analyst from TAV, tells TRT World.

Dogan said Ankara’s involvement in such a delicate search operation signifies Türkiye "the trusted country".

How Turkish-made drones located the crash site

Akinci initially flew at 20,000 feet despite the complete cloud cover, as explained by Dogan.

"Although the infrared camera could normally detect heat sources, it was hindered by the water particles forming the fog. It did not allow the passage of infrared rays. Upon descending to 10,000 feet, it became much easier for the infrared camera to detect the heat source, with which GPS could be located and shared with authorities."

Developed and produced by Baykar in Türkiye, Akinci returned home after successfully locating the wreckage of the helicopter carrying the Iranian President. The announcement came from Selcuk Bayraktar, the chairman of Baykar's board of directors.

Dogan believes Türkiye "undoubtedly boasts one of the world's best UAVs, if not among the top three. Türkiye is the only country with this capability and the only country from which such a request can be made".

He further adds that Türkiye possesses "one of the most organised armies in this region and even worldwide, especially in terms of reconnaissance, intelligence, and surveillance."

After crossing into Iranian airspace, the Turkish UAV efficiently located the accident site within approximately an hour.

Completing a task that only a few countries' technologies could accomplish, Akinci UAV drew a 'crescent and star' symbolising the Turkish flag in the sky upon its return, symbolising national pride.

The mission was conducted while being monitored online through the FlightRadar24 application, attracting the attention of nearly 2.8 million users.

Flight radar on X reported later in the day that “the most tracked flight last night was a Turkish UAV searching for the crashed helicopter in Iran. In total almost 2.8 million users tracked the UAV.”

Additionally, the live broadcast initiated by Anadolu Agency was followed by more than 3 million users.

Watching the operation online, Dogan says, "Türkiye has once again demonstrated with its developed UAVs instil confidence in friends and fear in enemies."

Besides the tragic news, Bekir Ilhan from TAV believes this is a "big success for the Turkish defence industry."

"It's time for Akinci to shine, with its technical capacities and domestically produced components," İlhan said.

The Bayraktar Akinci UAV boasts impressive flight performance capabilities, including a maximum altitude of 40,000 feet and an endurance of 24 hours, making it well-suited for extended missions.

Additionally, its turboprop configuration allows it to scan the required area at low speeds.

The Bayraktar Akinci UAV stands out for its ability to reach altitudes of up to 40,000 feet, remain airborne for 24 hours, and utilise fully automatic flight control systems, enabling effective mission execution even in challenging weather conditions.

Ilhan suggests that advancing the Turkish defence industry is linked to political will and Erdogan's strategic autonomy mission.

"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a big impact on the Turkish defence industry," says Bekir İlhan from TAV.

"The key is the political will…the role of this success comes from the political will, and as long as it is there, the Turkish defence industry will continue to make a success like this."