Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Baykar Chief Executive Officer Haluk Bayraktar met in Kyiv to plan the establishment of a plant in Ukraine.
“The meeting participants focused on the further cooperation of Ukraine with the company to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the office of the president reported. “The parties also discussed the details of the construction of the Baykar plant in Ukraine and the production of new goods using Ukrainian parts.”
Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian manufacturers continued to supply parts to Baykar. The company’s CTO (and brother of the CEO) Selcuk Bayraktar said that Ukraine’s Ivchenko-Progress would supply AI-322F and AI-25TLT engines for the Bayraktar Kizilelma, Turkey’s upcoming stealth drone.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have also been loyal customers of the Turkish manufacturer. The first order of Bayraktar TB2 armed drones dates back to 2019. The unmanned aerial vehicle illustrated itself during Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, proving to be an attritable solution to destroy more critical assets, such as armored vehicles, anti-aircraft systems, or even tanks.