Turkish Stealth Drone Crashes During Test Flight

Turkey’s latest stealth drone, the Anka 3, has crashed during a test flight in Konya.

The incident occurred during a controlled test flight, during which the Anka-3 drone reportedly made what officials called an “emergency landing.”

Images circulating online showed the aircraft with a delta wing structure separating from the main fuselage, although the center fuselage appeared largely intact.

In a statement issued after the incident, Turkish defense officials said: “During the test flight conducted in Konya, the Anka-3 UAV approached the ground in a controlled flight.” The statement did not call the incident an accident, but instead emphasized the controlled nature of the descent.

The Anka-3, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), represents a shift toward interceptable jet-powered UAVs with a flying wing design. The Anka-3 is intended for a variety of roles, from intelligence gathering to electronic warfare and strike missions.

Although still in its testing phase, the program has been closely followed as a major milestone in Turkey’s ambitions to develop advanced indigenous unmanned systems. Reactions on social media were mixed. Some users viewed the incident as a setback, pointing to the visible damage and highlighting its comparison to well-known Western systems. However, many others dismissed the criticism as opportunistic. One widely shared response stressed, “Even if the Anka-3 crashes, does it really matter?” The message went on to reference global defense aviation trends, noting that even advanced platforms like the F-35 have experienced technical failures during development.

Since its introduction, the Anka-3 has attracted international attention for its design and potential operational role in Turkey’s growing drone fleet. Unlike its predecessors, which had conventional fuselages and tail structures, the Anka-3 adopts a stealthy profile and jet propulsion, placing it more in line with high-end UAV designs from the US and China.

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