ALBAWABA – Baykar, the Turkish defense, has announced plans to open a plant in Kyiv, Ukraine to start manufacturing their infamous Bayraktar battle drones, employing over 500 workers to produce either TB2 or TB3 drones, according to CEO Haluk Bayraktar's interview with Reuters.
During the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Baykar spoke to Reuters about the upcoming factory, saying it is currently under construction and expected to start production in about a year with an output of 120 units per year, with investments into the project reaching $95 million.
Baykar’s Ukrainian factory has been in the weeds for more than a couple of years already, with the deal signed in early 2022 before Russia’s invasion kicked off, putting a halt on the process. Ukraine later amended the agreement with Turkey and provided licenses in June last year according to Kyiv Independent.
In his interview with Reuters, Haluk Bayraktar commented on whether the current conflict might pose a risk to the project, he said that plans are fully moving ahead declaring that nothing could thwart their process.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) awarding with the Order of Merit, 1st degree, CEO of Turkey's Baykar Makina Haluk Bayraktar (R) during their meeting in Kyiv. (Photo by HANDOUT / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP)
This news comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in Ankara’s efforts to normalize situations with Cairo, announced that Turkey has agreed to export Baykar’s drones to Egypt, saying to A Haber station “Normalization in our relations is important so as to allow Egypt to have certain technologies. We have an agreement to provide [Egypt] unmanned air vehicles and other technologies”, a planned visit for president Erdoğan is expected to the country on Feb. 14.
The employment of Baykar's drones in wars in Azerbaijan, Libya, and Ukraine has increased their popularity, with Baykar brokering multimillion-dollar agreements in multiple nations after Erdoğan’s visits.
