The Algerian Army General Staff has reportedly approved the acquisition of six Akusungur medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ).

If procured, the order would make Algeria the first global export customer for the Akusungur, which entered Turkish Air Force service as an attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform in 2021. A twin-engined version of Turkey’s Anka-S UAV, the Akusungur is a fixed-wing aircraft that is 38ft (11.6m) long and 9.8ft (3m) tall, with a wingspan of 78.7ft (24m). It has an unladen weight of 3,968lb (1,800kg) and carries a payload of 1,653lb (750kg), which can be distributed across six hardpoints.

Powered by two propeller-driven PD-170 piston engines, the Akusungur maximum cruising speed of 130kts (250km/h) takes it to an altitude range of between 21,325-39,993ft (6,500-12,190m), with an endurance of 50 hours at full charge.

It remains unclear if the Akusungur will replace or join the diverse range of multi-purpose UAVs already operated by the Algerian Army. These include fleets of Chinese-made drones, such as the CH-3A/B Rainbow and Wing Loong II, as well as several variants of the Adcom Yabhon Flash UAV series that were acquired from the United Arab Emirates.