Bayraktar Akinci
Armed MALE drone · also known as Akinci, Akıncı, TB3 is a different type
| Designer / manufacturer | Baykar |
|---|---|
| Countries | Türkiye |
| Production | Turkey (plant not stated in sources reviewed) |
| Operators | Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Burkina Faso, UAE, Pakistan (ordered), Indonesia (ordered), Saudi Arabia (ordered) |
| Estimated unit cost | No published estimate found |
| Confidence | low |
Reported characteristics
| Payload (kg) | 1350-1500+ (sources differ) |
|---|---|
| mtowKg | 5500-6000 (sources differ) |
| Endurance (h) | 24-25 |
| Range (km) | 6000-7500 (spec sheets, unverified) |
Notes
Operator counts from Shephard (Apr 2026); deliveries to Indonesia and Saudi Arabia unverified.
Who uses it and how they obtain it
How each user obtains this type, from open sources (research note of 12 October 2026). Confidence concerns the route claim: high means several independent authoritative sources or an official source; medium, one good source with supporting coverage; low, a single source, a party's claim or visual similarity only. 'Contested' means a party denies it, sources disagree, or it rests only on a party's claim. Several primary documents were only reachable through secondary coverage. This is background on the type, not evidence about any specific incident. Explanations are in English.
| User | How obtained | Explanation and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | own production Confidence: high | Developed and built by Baykar; Shephard estimates that export customers across Africa, Asia and the Middle East have spent about US$6.81 billion on 218 Akinci to date. Saudi Arabia is estimated to be the largest customer. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Saudi Arabia | import / supply, licensed or localised production Confidence: medium | Baykar announced in July 2023 its largest export contract, for the Royal Saudi Air Force and Navy, covering training and support and, per Baykar's statement as relayed by trade press, joint production and technology transfer. Unit numbers and price were not disclosed. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Azerbaijan | import / supply Confidence: medium | Baykar announced two Akinci export contracts in March 2022 (customer initially unnamed), and Shephard reports that Azerbaijan has completed its Akinci procurement. Unit numbers were not found. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Ethiopia | import / supply Confidence: low | Overt Defense (November 2023) names Ethiopia as the latest known Akinci customer; no contract details were found. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Sudan (SAF) | import / supply Confidence: medium contested | The UN fact-finding mission for Sudan (September 2026; A/HRC/63/23 per DNHR) verified foreign-supplied Bayraktar Akinci drones in strikes attributed to the army, but the coverage found does not name the supplier. SIPRI lists Turkiye among suppliers of armed UAVs to the SAF in 2021-25. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Libya (Tripoli government) | import / supply Confidence: low | Reuters-based reporting (April 2026) says the Tripoli government signed a deal with Turkey for Akinci drones in October 2022; delivery was not confirmed in the sources found. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
Dossiers mentioning this type
No published dossier names this type yet.
Sources
- https://plus.shephardmedia.com/detail/akinci/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baykar_Bayraktar_Akinci
- https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/bayraktar-akinci/
Cost figures are published estimates from third parties and vary widely; they are not DroneLedger assessments. Corrections: About, corrections & privacy.
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