A project to construct a plant in Ukraine for the production of Turkish drone magnate Baykar’s famed Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) has been completed and the legal framework formed, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Türkiye.
“As of today, the entire legal framework has been formed. As you know, the relevant international agreement has already been ratified,” Vasyl Bodnar was quoted by Ukrinform as saying during a briefing at the media center.
“There is a company that is currently operating in Ukraine, and it has prepared a physical project... We expect that the plant will be put into service within the next two years and will start to produce goods with Ukrainian component parts,” Bodnar noted.
Bodnar also reminded that Türkiye’s first unmanned fighter jet, also produced by Baykar is currently powered by a Ukrainian-manufactured engine and has successfully completed its second flight test in recent days.
“This is evidence of how closely we cooperate and produce actual results, including, hopefully, for the future strengthening of Ukraine’s security,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.
Engines, wheels, or other spare parts of Ukrainian production can be used in the production of Baykar’s drones, according to the previous statements by the ambassador.
The Bayraktar TB2, which has been used by Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, along with conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Karabakh, spearheads Türkiye’s global defense export push.
The TB2 has been hugely popular in Ukraine, where it helped destroy Russian artillery systems and armored vehicles. It even became the subject of a patriotic expletive-strewn hit song in Ukraine that mocked Russian troops, with the chorus "Bayraktar, Bayraktar."
