Pakistan Air Force has recently started receiving their ordered Bayraktar Akinci drones from Turkiye. The first batch of six-seven drones was reportedly delivered to the Pakistan in April 2023.
The reports also indicate that the Pakistani Air Force has even started using these multi-role combat drones for operational purposes.
In October 2022, a group of 44 Pakistan Air Force personnel had visited Baykar Defence’s facility in Turkiye to attend the sixth edition of Akinci training program.
The Bayraktar Akinci comes in two variants- Akinci A and Akinci B. The initial drones acquired by Pakistan in through this deal were of Akinci A variant, but the later drones were Akinci B which operates on a better engine in comparison to Akinci A. The Bayraktar Akinci B is considered to have better endurance, range and service ceiling and more payload-carrying capacity than Akinci A.
Though the Bayraktar Akinci drone is considered as Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone, its advanced specifications make it as good as any High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drone in operational capabilities. In fact, the acquisition of these drones has given the Pakistani Air Force a significant edge over India and has put Pakistan ahead of India in the HALE drones segment. On the contrary, India has delayed way too long in inducting such drones into its armoury.
During PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the states in June earlier this year, India and the US have inked a $3 billion deal for 31 HALE MQ-9 drones. Out of these 31 MQ-9B drones 15 Seaguardian drones will be received by the Indian Navy whereas the Indian Air Force and Indian Army will receive 8 MQ-9B Skyguardian drones each. As of now, there are only two MQ-9A Seaguardian drones being operated by the Indian Navy, which have been acquired on lease from the US in November 2022.
Though the Indian Navy has a decent 12,000 flying hours experience of these long endurance drones, the acquisition of the predator HALE drones is not going to happen any time soon. Until then the Pakistani Air Force will have a decisive edge over India in meeting its long-range reconnaissance and surveillance objectives in the region.
Bayraktar Akinci is a MALE drone developed and manufactured by Turkish defence manufacturer Baykar Defence, which also manufactures the Bayraktar TB2 drones. The platform operates on two Ivchenko-Progress Motor Sich AI-450T turboprop engines, which generate power of 560 kW (750 hp) each.
Capable of performing attack operations, the Akinci drone has a payload carrying capacity of 1,300 kg, which takes its maximum takeoff weight to 5,500 kg. The platform has a service ceiling of 13,716 metres, a maximum range of 7500 km and an endurance of 25 hours, which makes it an effective platform for surveillance and reconnaissance roles, with decent attack expertise.
However, when compared with the MQ-9B Skygaurdian, the Turkish platform seems to be outplayed by its American counterpart. The MQ-9B is an apex platform in the HALE segment and better than Bayraktar Akinci in almost every aspect, be it endurance, range, engines, payload carrying capacity, proven electronic warfare capabilities. However, from the Indian perspective, this superiority in HALE category is just on paper as India awaits for its ordered MQ-9B drones to get inducted whereas Pakistan operates the multirole drone, Bayraktar Akinci.