Anka UAV from TAL to use guidance and navigation system from Rockwell Collins

Posted by John McHale
ISTANBUL, Turkey 11 May 2011. The Anka Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) will fly with the Athena guidance and navigation system from Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Under the contract, Rockwell Collins will provide TAI with its Athena 511 integrated inertial navigation system and global positioning system (INS/GPS) and air data sensor suite system. The Athena 511 is a high precision, miniaturized solution, weighing six pounds and specifically designed for high-performance UAV applications.
The Anka was developed for day and night real-time image intelligence for surveillance, reconnaissance, fixed/moving target detection, identification, and tracking missions. The MALE UAV can reach 30,000 feet with endurance of 24 hours.
"Our systems and expertise will provide TAI and their customers with the most advanced navigation and guidance available for this strategic UAV," says Claude Alber, vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Rockwell Collins. “"dditionally, because our Athena guidance and navigation system has uniquely surpassed more than 1 million operational flight hours, we’re bringing the highest levels of proven reliability to this program."