Türkiye’s gendarmerie flies AKINCI drones nationwide for border and counterterror missions

The Turkish Gendarmerie is flying Baykar’s Bayraktar AKINCI drones from a base in eastern Türkiye on reconnaissance, border security and counterterrorism missions, with each aircraft able to stay aloft for 24 hours and carry 1,500 kilograms of munitions.

Türkiye’s Gendarmerie, the rural security force that polices most of the country’s territory, is operating Bayraktar AKINCI attack drones on missions that reach every corner of the country. Three of the Baykar-built aircraft are based at the Elazığ Gendarmerie UAV Group Command in eastern Türkiye.

The AKINCI joined the gendarmerie’s aviation inventory on July 4, 2025. Flying at 40,000 feet for up to 24 hours, it covers missions stretching from Edirne on the Bulgarian border to Iğdır near Iran, and from Sinop on the Black Sea to Hatay on the Syrian border.

Satellite links and AI autopilot

"Thanks to satellite communication systems, we can carry out reconnaissance, surveillance and operational missions wherever a task is requested across our country’s airspace," UAV pilot Maj. Ergin Sarıçiçek told Anadolu Agency, adding that the drone uses an AI-assisted autopilot with triple redundancy.

A Bayraktar AKINCI on the runway

Its electro-optical cameras provide clear imagery day and night, which Sarıçiçek described as a force multiplier for counterterrorism, allowing units on the ground to be guided precisely without being put at risk.

Heavy payload

The AKINCI can carry a range of Turkish-made munitions, from MAM-series mini smart bombs to the Gözde and Tolun guided weapons, and is also used in anti-smuggling, disaster response and search-and-rescue operations. "What sets the AKINCI apart from other drones is its munition-carrying capacity — 1,500 kilograms," Sarıçiçek said. Baykar flew the first AKINCI prototype in December 2019.