The Turkish Defense Ministry highlighted on Thursday the indispensable role of drone giant Baykar and its solutions and contributions to the country's defense industry.
"With its high engineering capability, strong R&D infrastructure, and innovative approach, Baykar develops game-changing solutions tailored to the needs of various operational environments," Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk told a weekly briefing.
The briefing was held at Baykar’s Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul.
"Baykar makes significant contributions to the enhancement of the reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and attack capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces, and also increases our country’s global effectiveness in the field of defense industry through its exports," Aktürk added.
Moreover, he referred to some of the products developed by Baykar, such as Bayraktar TB2 drones, Akıncı drones, Kızılelma combat jet, Kemankeş mini smart cruise missiles, K2 Kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and others.
Aktürk also pointed out that many advanced technology products are being developed with national and original resources.
He also went on to thank Baykar for hosting the weekly meeting and wished all its personnel, "who work devotedly for our country’s goal of fully independent defense and aviation technologies, continued success in their work."
Baykar is one of the leading Turkish defense companies and one of the top 10 exporters.
The company increased its exports from $664 million in 2021 to $1.2 billion in 2022, and then to $1.8 billion in both 2023 and 2024. In 2025, exports reached a new record of $2.2 billion.
The briefing also highlighted Türkiye’s expanding defense industry. The ministry said inspection and acceptance procedures had been completed for various quantities of the OMTAS armored anti-tank vehicle and the Karinalı Boat System for the Turkish Land Forces.
Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Türkiye’s state defense manufacturer MKE and Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production at the Balkan Shield Defense Industry Fair in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The agreement aims to expand existing cooperation and establish new areas of collaboration, including joint production, particularly in explosives.
The ministry also said sea acceptance tests for the second I-class frigate Izmir, being built and equipped under the MILGEM 6 to 12 Ship Procurement Project, began on Aug. 31.
