Speaking at a televised interview held on June 12th, 2018 the then Turkish Minister of National Defence (MoND) Nurettin CANİKLİ disclosed that a contract was signed with a company for the development and manufacture of new 4.5-ton armed UAV dubbed AKINCI and first delivery will take place in 2020. He, however, did not mention the name of the company to produce AKINCI Attack UAV. 

On July 10, 2018 Mr. CANİKLİ, Minister of National Defence, handed over the duty to General Hulusi AKAR who was appointed to this duty on July 9.

On the same day images of the AKINCI (Raider) Attack UAV, previously announced by MoND CANİKLİ, were released for the first time by Selçuk BAYRAKTAR, Baykar Makina Chief Techology Officer (CTO). CTO BAYRAKTAR announced that the company’s AKINCI Attack UAV hit the production line. 

With a service ceiling of 40,000 feet, the AKINCI UAV will have maximum take-off weight of 4,5 tons, have a payload capacity of 1.350kg (900kg external and 450kg internal), have 24 hours of endurance and be powered by two turboprop engines each generating 550hp.

AKINCI UAV will have a 20m wingspan, is 12,5m long and 4,1m high and to be equipped with indigenously developed SatCom, CATS FLIR, Wide Area Surveillance System, ELINT/SIGINT System, ESM Pod, Collision Avoidance System, Multi-role AESA Air Radar and a SAR/GMTI Radar. AKINCI can be armed with wide range of air-to-ground munitions including MAM-L, MAM-C, CIRIT, Mk81 and Mk82 general-purpose bombs, smart munitions (such as HGK, KGK and LGK) with various guidance kits and SOM ALCM. According to Baykar Makina General Manager Haluk BAYRAKTAR, AKINCI UAV may be equipped with air-to-air missile systems domestically developed in Turkey and may be deployed in air-to-air missions. “The AKINCI UAV system will have the most developed state-of-the art technology in its own class within three years”, he said.

Under the AKINCI Attack UAV Program, the SSB issued a Request for Information (RFI) during the first half of 2016 and received responses from TA and Baykar Makina on June 17, 2016. During its January 31, 2018 DIEC, the highest decision-making body on defence procurement in Turkey, selected Baykar Makina over TA and authorized the SSB to start contractual negotiations with Baykar Makina. In an interview with Yeni Şafak daily on February 24, 2018, MoND CANİKLİ disclosed that a contract with Baykar Makina would be signed soon and that AKINCI UAV deliveries will begin in 2021. CANİKLİ also underlined that the AKINCI UAV would enable Turkey to develop Unmanned Combat Aircraft (UCAV) starting in 2027 based on the technology acquired.