Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has honored the chief executive of the acclaimed Turkish defense company behind pioneering drones that earned fame for their critical role in several conflicts, including in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy received Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar in Kyiv on Friday in a meeting that focused on the further cooperation of Ukraine with the company to strengthen the defense capabilities of its armed forces, the presidency said.
Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) has been hugely popular in Ukraine, where it helped destroy many Russian artillery systems and armored vehicles.
Türkiye has tried to steer a middle course between Moscow and Kyiv and has pursued intense diplomatic efforts to end the war. It has criticized Moscow’s invasion and provided Ukraine with arms, including drones, which played a significant role in deterring a Russian advance early in the conflict, while refusing to join the West in imposing sanctions on Russia – a stance that has helped its mediation efforts reap results.
Bayraktar TB2 is known for taking out some of the most advanced anti-aircraft systems and advanced artillery systems and armored vehicles – a capability it demonstrated in conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Karabakh.
Zelenskyy said Baykar would set up a factory in Ukraine to build unmanned aerial vehicles.
"We discussed the details of the construction of the Baykar factory in Ukraine and the production of new products using Ukrainian components," Zelenskyy said.
A video posted online showed Zelenskyy giving Bayraktar the Ukrainian Order of Merit. In return, Zelenskyy received a traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirt featuring a drone.
The statement said Zelenskyy "highly appreciated" the contribution of Bayraktar and his company to boosting the power of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "in the fight against the aggressor and presented him with the Order of Merit, first class."
"Everyone in Ukraine knows what Bayraktar is, knows your company. Many thanks to you, President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan for your support and the support of the citizens of Turkey in this war against Russian aggression," the president said.
For his part, Bayraktar shared a photo alongside the Ukrainian leader on Twitter, saying: "I would like to thank Mr. President for this valuable recognition. I will continue to strive for a world where peace and justice prevail."
The TB2 drone has been such a factor that it now spearheads Türkiye’s global defense export push.
Baykar has signed deals to sell TB2s to 24 countries and has reached a point where exports account for almost all of its revenues this year, Bayraktar said earlier this month.
The demand for the drones has been so high that the CEO last month said the company had a three-year waitlist. Baykar has manufactured more than 400 TB2s to date, according to the company.
It now aims to further expand its production capacity, a target that it in part hopes to achieve with the plant in Ukraine, where it wants to assemble TB2s and another landmark drone, Akıncı, as well as Kızılelma fighters.
Baykar currently has a capacity to manufacture 200 Bayraktar TB2s a year. It has said it seeks to raise this figure to 500 for TB2s and reach a level where it produces 40 Akıncı drones per year.