Baykar

Turkish defense companies signed agreements worth a total of $10.2 billion abroad last year, Haluk Görgün, the head of the Defense Industry Agency (SSB) has said.

The Turkish defense industry has exported 230 products to 185 countries over the past 10 years, Görgün told a conference organized at the southern province of Antalya.

Turkish company Baykar has started building a drone factory near the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, says its CEO Haluk Bayraktar.

Baykar's TB2 or TB3 drone models will be produced at the plant, which will create jobs for 500 people, Bayraktar said, speaking at the World World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.

Turkish defense company Baykar has started building a factory near Kyiv that will employ around 500 people and where it will manufacture either its TB2 or TB3 drone models, the company's chief executive told Reuters.

The Turkish defense and aerospace industry's exports climbed to an all-time high of $5.55 billion last year.

The industry's export revenues increased by 27 percent in 2023 from 2022, capturing a 2.3 percent share in Türkiye's total exports last year.

In 2023, the country's exports hit a record $255.8 billion, rising from $254.2 billion in 2022.

With a combined arms revenue of $5.5 billion, four Turkish companies, namely Aselsan, Baykar, Turkish Aerospace Industries and Roketsan, have made it to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) Top 100 list for 2022 — two more than in 2021.

Baykar (ranked 76th) and Roketsan (ranked 100th) entered the Top 100 for the first time.

Four Turkish companies have made it to the prestigious Defense News 100 list for 2023, all climbing up on the ladder from the previous year's rankings with three of them climbing from the previous year while one entering the list for the first time.

Turkish defense companies Baykar, Aselsan and Roketsan have signed agreements with Saudi Arabian firms.

Drone maker Baykar inked an agreement with state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) for the local production of unmanned aerial vehicles in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia signed a strategic agreement with Turkish defense firm Baykar Tech to localize the manufacturing of drones in the kingdom, Saudi defence firm SAMI posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. [Reuters]

Türkiye's 16th International Defence Industry Fair, IDEF'23, will be organized between July 25 and 28 in Istanbul.

Türkiye's 16th International Defence Industry Fair, IDEF'23, will be organized between July 25 and 28 in Istanbul.