Operation Spring Shield was a theatre for domestic unmanned aerial vehicles. In the operation that will be written not only for the Turkish Armed Forces but also in the world conflict history, many break grounds took place. In the operation; Anka, Anka-S, Bayraktar TB2, as well as MAM-L and MAM-C; was in the leading role.
The Turkish Army used unmanned aerial vehicles imported from the USA, the UK and Israel for many years. Platforms used in areas such as counter-terrorism, border surveillance, and anti-smuggling operations have also come up with problems that they have experienced as well as their successful use. Due to the technological impossibilities of time and limited opportunities for Turkey failed to use these platforms in the desired activity. Usage of these systems concentrated in eastern and southeastern Turkey, and Turkish Armed Forces also provided a significant amount of feedback to the manufacturer companies. The desire to produce domestic unmanned aerial vehicles and their feedbacks to the companies paved the way for the first steps in this field. Unmanned aerial vehicles studies, started by the local companies in the late 1990s, began to take shape in 2010, and the first products started to appear. Anka, which also took the duty of the Spring Shield Operation from these products, made its first flight on December 30, 2010, and the Anka-S, the model of the platform that can be operated beyo-the-line of sight, made its first flight on December 25, 2015. TB2, another system involved in the operation, performed its first fully automatic test flight in 2014.
The operation, for the first time in history, was a theatre for the coordinated unmanned air strikes from UAVs at conflict which between two regular armies. Roketsan production MAM-L and MAM-C ammunition are also very important in this success of Turkish Aerospace Industries product Anka, Anka-S and Baykar product Bayraktar TB2s. The motorless model of UMTAS missiles, which are developed in line with the need for a long-range anti-tank system, the MAM-Ls have achieved great success against the heavy armored vehicles of the regime forces. MAM-C, which is the fuel and engine-free variant of the Cirit missile, acted against soft targets. Systems belonging to the Anka family and the MAM product range left by TB2s; systems successfully served against moving targets. The companies involved in the development and manufacture of platforms; that sometimes destroy air defense systems received significant technological feedback. The Turkish Armed Forces also tested the UAV doctrines in the field and gained an important experience by conducting the unmanned vehicle operation, which is shown as the operation style of the future, in coordination against a regular army for the first time in history.
