Turkey eyes drone sales to Malaysia

Turkey is pursuing a deal with Malaysia to sell drones, Bloomberg said on Thursday.

The Turkish government is seeking to sell at least three domestically produced Anka armed drones and an ammunition production line, Bloomberg said, citing two defence industry officials familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity.

Anka-S, manufactured by state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), entered operations in 2018, proving effective in combat in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

Turkey also deployed the drones in the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in late 2020, alongside Bayraktar TB-2 drones. Turkey sided with Azerbaijan in the conflict. Ukraine has been among the countries to purchase Turkish TB-2s, using them against Russian military forces since its invasion in late February.

Erdoğan and Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, agreed on enhancing bilateral relations in various areas, including the defence industry, according to a statement by Erdoğan's office.

TUSAŞ and Malaysia’s state-run defence industry body signed two memorandums of understanding during Yaakob’s visit, Bloomberg said.

Turkey’s state-run ammunition producer Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation signed a separate cooperation agreement with Malaysian MA Analytics, Bloomberg reported.