The Turkish defense company Baykar has started construction of a factory near Kyiv, which will employ about 500 people and produce TB2 or TB3 drones, the company’s CEO told Reuters.
Bayraktar drones, manufactured in Turkey, gained global importance after the Ukrainian army used them to counter Russian forces by destroying armored vehicles and artillery systems, News.ro notes.
Baykar said it has signed export deals for its TB2 drone with 30 countries.
According to the research institute SIPRI, as of 2018, these countries include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya and Azerbaijan.
“Our plant is under construction… we need about 12 months to complete the construction and then we will move on to internal machines, equipment and organizational structure,” Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said on the sidelines of the World Defense Show in Riyadh.
“The factory in Ukraine is large, we plan to employ about 500 people,” he said.
Bayraktar noted that the plant’s capacity will be around 120 units each year, but it is not yet clear whether production at the Ukrainian plant will focus on the TB2 or TB3 drone model.
Asked if the plant was concerned about security issues related to the current conflict, he said the plans were “fully on track” and “nothing” could stop them.
Bayraktar also said the Istanbul-based company’s plans to start production in Saudi Arabia in the next two years are on track.
The announcement followed an agreement in July to sell the Bayraktar Akinci, another type of drone, to Saudi Arabia in what Baykar called the largest defense contract in Turkish history.
Other defense companies in the west have also announced deals with Riyadh – on Monday US arms maker Lockheed Martin announced new deals with companies in Saudi Arabia to produce parts of its missile defense system.
Bayraktar said that for the current year, the firm plans to double domestic Akinci production from 36 units in 2023, while TB2 production will remain unchanged at 230 units.
It also aims to produce new Kızılelma and TB3 drone models “by the dozens,” he added.
Source: Hot News
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