ANKA III Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ) and an important milestone in the Turkish defense industry, made a name for itself once again with its latest missile test. As announced by TUSAŞ on its official X (Twitter) account, ANKA III successfully completed the test fire with the domestically produced Super Lightning missile, demonstrating the level of Turkish engineering.
“Super Shot on Target”: Another Success from ANKA III
The following statements in TUSAŞ’s social media post, “A super shot from ANKA III on target! ANKA III achieved another success by dropping Super Lightning from under the wing. We are moving towards our goals with determined steps with our national engineering power. The successes we have achieved on the path we have covered continue to inspire us for the future,” clearly demonstrate the success of the test and national pride. This successful shot once again proved ANKA III’s ability to integrate with different ammunition and its operational flexibility.
Successive Ammunition Tests from ANKA III
The Super Lightning missile test is just another successful test of ANKA III in recent times. In a test announced by TAI last March, the ANKA III MİUS (Combat Unmanned Aircraft System) successfully hit its target with an ASELSAN-made LGK-82 guided bomb. TAI shared the following regarding this test: “We are determined to add strength to our defense industry and strengthen our dominance in the sky.” This success is of great importance in terms of showing that ANKA III can effectively operate with different air-ground munitions.
Praise for National Engineering from the Presidency of Defense Industries
In his statement regarding ANKA III’s successful firing of the LGK-82 ammunition, Defense Industry President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün said, “ANKA III’s successful firing of the LGK-82 ammunition developed by ASELSAN takes our airborne effectiveness to the next level. This important capability gain is a concrete indicator of our national engineering power and our determined progress in our defense industry,” emphasizing the importance of national engineering and progress in the defense industry.
Success in Hull Firing with TOLUN Ammunition
In early 2025, ANKA III attracted attention with the launch it made with TOLUN ammunition, also produced by ASELSAN. In the images shared on January 13, 2025, it was seen that ANKA III MİUS successfully launched a launch from inside the fuselage at an altitude of 20 thousand feet and a speed of 180 knots using TOLUN ammunition. This test once again proved ANKA III's ability to fire ammunition not only from under the wings but also from inside the fuselage, as well as its engineering success.
Super Lightning Missile Features and Mission Range
In an interview in May 2023, the technical specifications of the Super Lightning missile were explained in detail by TUSAŞ UAV Systems Deputy General Manager Ömer Yıldız. Developed with the experience gained from the Lightning UAV, Super Lightning stands out as a larger and longer-range system compared to Lightning. Planned to perform 11 different missions in the long term, Super Lightning weighs approximately 200 kg and can fly at speeds of 0.8-0.9 Mach. Super Lightning, which can be carried by ANKA-III and the National Combat Aircraft KAAN, will be able to fulfill critical missions such as Electronic Support/Electronic Attack and false targets by sharing tasks with the platforms it accompanies in a swarm. In addition, the fact that it can be used as a cruise missile, especially against strategic targets such as air defense systems, with its 35 kg warhead capacity, shows that Super Lightning is a versatile ammunition.
The successful test launch of ANKA III, developed by TAI, with the Super Lightning missile confirms once again the superior level that Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle technology has reached. Successive successful ammunition tests clearly demonstrate the breadth of ANKA III’s operational capabilities and the determination and success of Turkish engineering in this area. Considering the features of the Super Lightning missile and its potential future missions, it can be said that this integration is an important gain for the Turkish defense industry and will provide a strategic contribution to air power. Such projects, implemented by Türkiye’s national engineering power, continue to be critical steps towards increasing the country’s independence and deterrence in the field of defense.
