Photo: Turkish Aerospace Industries
On July 30, a Turkish TAI Anka-B combat drone was spotting flying over the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
Syrian activists shared a photo of the combat drone that was apparently conducting an armed reconnaissance mission over Greater Idlib. The region, where Turkey maintains a large force, is held by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Turkish-backed factions.
The Turkish combat drone was armed with two MAM-L laser-guided small-diameter munitions, which were made by Turkey’s defense giant ROKETSAN.
Turkish TAI Anka combat drone armed with two MAM-Ls flying over Greater Idlib, the photo is allegedly from today. pic.twitter.com/NW9q004Dy5
— Within Syria (@WithinSyriaBlog) July 30, 2021
The Turkish military and intelligence have been operating Anka drones in combat and reconnaissance missions over Syria for several years now.
During the 2019–2020 Greater Idlib offensive, the Syrian Arab Army shot down two Anka drones which were targeting its troops. The first drone was shot down on February 25, 2020. The second was shot down a few days later, on March 1. Both drones were of the more advanced Anka-S variant which is equipped with the Ctech DEV-KU-18 Mobile Satellite Communication Terminal.
Click to see full-size image.
Turkey remains committed to maintaining a strong military presence in Greater Idlib. Meanwhile, Ankara’s allies in the region continue to violate the ceasefire agreement which is provoking Damascus and its allies, especially Russia.