Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Turkish defense firm Baykar, said that the company plans to complete the construction of the unmanned aerial vehicle production facility in Ukraine within two years.
The unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) produced by Baykar attracted the attention of the whole world with its success in blocking the Russian forces.
Baykar had agreed to establish its second production facility in Ukraine, within the framework of an agreement signed between Turkey and Ukraine just before the Russian invasion on February 24.
Haluk Bayraktar, in a statement to the Reuters news agency, said that despite some obstacles created by the invasion of Russia, the plans are progressing.
Speaking at the SAHA defense fair held in Istanbul, the CEO said, "The plan is progressing. We have architectural design now. The detailed design phase is finished. Actually, we will proceed with construction... We want to finish it in two years."
UCAVs supplied to Ukraine by Baykar were effective in defending Ukraine against Russian armored and anti-aircraft systems in the first few weeks of the Russian occupation.
Bayraktar TB2 UCAV attracted such great interest among the public that Ukrainians composed a song and some of Ukraine's allies started donation campaigns to buy more of the aircraft.
Ukraine stands out in Baykar's supply chain, especially with the offensive unmanned aerial vehicle Akıncı and the fast unmanned fighter aircraft Kızılelma. Engines from Ukrainian companies Motor Sich and Ivchenko-Progress are used in both.
