Turkey has taken initiatives to manufacture unmanned ground vehicles in addition to unmanned aeriel vehicles and unmanned combat aerial vehicles that have been used in the country’s counterterrorism operations.

Once the project of unmanned tanks President Erdoğan announced on Wednesday is complete, those products will be used in close combat both domestically and abroad, according to reports. As such, the project will increase Turkey’s exports in the field of defense and it will place Turkey among global defense giants.

Addressing the 11th Development Plan Publicity Meeting in the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his gratitude to the manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned combat aerial vehicles utilized in Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin and said: "We will take a step further. Now we have to produce unmanned tanks and we will do this."

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.

Turkey to develop unmanned tank, says Erdoğan Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Turkey will develop its own unmanned tank.Speaking at the 11th Development Plan Conference in the Presidential Complex, Erdoğan noted that bad neighbors led Turkey to develop recon and combat drone technology.“We need to be able to manufacture unmanned tanks and we will do this. We are becoming a country that possesses this technology.”Referring to the growth Turkey has experienced over the past 15 years when the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power, Erdoğan spoke of the economic success Turkey has achieved during this period.“Reaching a level of $11,000 income per capita is a historic success,” said Erdoğan in his speech.“The definition of poverty in our country has undergone a significant change. Today, poverty does not mean the lack of food or bread, instead, it has come to be defined as being under a certain prosperity level. We have come a long way on an array of issues including lowering infant deaths and developing mothers’ health,” continued Erdoğan.Turkey unveils joint stamp to bolster Turkey-Qatar tiesErdoğan: Pro-regime groups in Afrin issue 'closed'

Erdoğan stated that bad neighbors led Turkey to develop recon and combat drone technology. “We need to be able to manufacture unmanned tanks and we will do this. We are becoming a country that possesses this technology,” he asserted also by stressing both public and private sectors in Turkey cooperated in the field of defense.

He also said that while Turkey’s budget for defense projects was $5.5 billion in 2002, it exceeded $41 billion in 2017.

Turkey’s other ‘unmanned’ projects

A Turkish company based in the central Konya province developed an unmanned ground vehicle to prevent casualties among security forces in 2017. The mini tank named Ankebot could help security forces fight terrorists by intervening in dangerous scenarios from a relatively safe distance of 200 meters. Controlled by a joystick remote control system, which has a battery life of eight hours and is capable of cruising six kilometers per hour with a load of 100 kilograms, the mini tank could be used for bomb disposal, fire-fighting, close combat and the transportation of injured personnel.

Anka, Bayraktar and Karayel are also other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) Turkey domestically produces and uses in counterterrorism operations.