Turkish Drone Manufacturer Baykar Starts Building Factory In Ukraine: Targets Bayraktar TB2 Production Or TB3

Illustration of the Baykar drone factory. (Twitter/@BaykarTech)

JAKARTA - Turkish defense firm Baykar is starting to build a factory near Kyiv, Ukraine, which is planned to employ 500 people to produce Bayraktar TB2 or TB3 military drone models, the company's chief executive said.

Turkish-made Bayraktar drones became globally famous after being used by the Ukrainian military to stem Russia's military advance in the invasion that has been carried out since February 2022, destroying armored vehicles and artillery systems.

"Our plant is under construction. We need about 12 months to complete construction and then we will switch to internal engines, equipment and organizational structures," said Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar on the sidelines of the World Defense Exhibition in Riyadh. February 7th.

"The factory in Ukraine is a large factory, we plan to hire about 500 people," he said.

Bayraktar further noted that its capacity will amount to around 120 units each year, but it is still unclear whether production at the Ukrainian plant will focus on the TB2 or TB3 drone model.

When asked if security concerns related to the ongoing conflict would cause concern for the power plant, he said the plan was "fully going forward and nothing" that could stop the plan.

Separately, Baykar said it had signed its TB2 drone export deal with 30 countries. The countries include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya, and Azerbaijan since 2018, according to the SIPRI think-tank agency.

Bayraktar also said that Istanbul-based company plans to start production in Saudi Arabia in the next two years have been going according to plan.

The announcement follows an agreement in July to sell Bayraktar Detail, another type of drone, to Saudi Arabia in what Baykar described as the biggest defense contract in Turkish history.

Bayraktar said that, looking at this year, the company plans to double Akinci's domestic production, which amounts to 36 units by 2023, while TB2 output will not change to 230 units.

It also aims to produce a new model of the Kryptzbarlelma and TB3 drones "in tens," he added.