Indonesia is set to become the first to receive a type of new advanced drone, Bayraktar TB3 from the Turkish defense company Baykar, according to an Anadolu Agency (AA) report Wednesday.
Turkish defense manufacturer Baykar's Bayraktar drones are set to be exported to Indonesia as part of an agreement signed between Baykar and the Indonesian defense company Republikorp.
Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar and Republikorp founder Norman Joesoef signed on Wednesday a joint production agreement for the export of Bayraktar TB3 and Akıncı drones.
The deal was among a dozen agreements signed on the sidelines of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Indonesia. This marked Erdoğan’s first visit to Indonesia since 2022, when at the time he traveled to Bali to attend the G-20 summit.
According to a source, 60 Bayraktar TB3 and nine Bayraktar Akıncı drones will be exported to Indonesia.
The TB3 is the advanced model of the TB2 drone, which has been sold to a record number of countries around the world.
With its folding wing structure, Bayraktar TB3 is capable of taking off and landing from short-runway ships. It is designed to operate from short-runway aircraft carriers, such as the TCG Anadolu, the country's first carrier.
Bayar is continuing its development of the Bayraktar TB3 uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), with the drone completing over 100 tests so far, according to the company.
Last year, the drone successfully completed take-off and landing from the carrier, while a year earlier, on the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic, it completed its maiden flight.
The Akıncı drone, on the other hand, also has a great deal of deterrent power on the battlefield due to its high altitude, extended endurance and variety of payload options. It also helps humanitarian relief teams during search and rescue missions, earthquakes and fires.
Indonesia and Türkiye have built an increasingly close relationship in recent years and have already jointly developed a new model of a medium tank called Harimau through the collaboration of the Turkish FNSS and Indonesia's state-run arms producer, Pindad.
Indonesian media outlets such as Antara News, CNN Indonesia, Jakarta Globe, Kontan, Kuatbaca, Detik News and Indoraya News extensively covered the agreement signed between Baykar and Republikorp in their news. In the news published by the country's official news agency Antara News, titled "Indonesia and Turkey will expand cooperation in defense and security," statements from the joint declaration made by President Erdoğan and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto were included.
The news stated that the two countries would increase cooperation in defense and security areas such as intelligence and counterterrorism, and an agreement was mentioned regarding establishing a drone production factory between Baykar and Republikorp.
Baykar had earlier also started building a factory near Kyiv, Ukraine, which will employ around 500 people and manufacture either its TB2 or TB3 drone models, the company’s CEO told Reuters last year.
