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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter 'kamikaze' threat in Ukraine

"Soon our Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncıs will have air-to-air missiles; not only to engage drones but other enemy aircraft ... we are doing our tests," Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said in his comments during a defence fair in Istanbul.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

The kamikazes are slow, noisy and deployed at low altitudes, making them "easy targets," Bayraktar argued.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

Bayraktar, who holds a Ukrainian state medal, said his company looks to cement cooperation with Kiev, including launching a production facility in Ukraine within a year.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

The plant will also manufacture Baykar's soon-to-be-launched jet-powered drone 'Red Apple', Bayraktar told dpa.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

Russian criticism against Baykar had spiked in particular after reports of TB2's alleged role in helping Ukraine sink the flagship missile cruiser Moskva in April.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

Bayraktar himself was reportedly targeted by Russian intelligence, using deep fake technology.

"Unfortunately such things happen ... but we are a huge team, we focus on our targets, not other noises," Bayraktar said.

"We hear such reports of TB2's role," Bayraktar said of the Moskva incident.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

He acknowledged that Ukraine recently became world's first country to engage the TB2 in a naval mission, but did not elaborate.

The TB2 has gained global fame and became an export hit for Baykar since 2018, following successful operations in northern Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and lately Ukraine.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

The drone reportedly initially used components made in the U.S., Canada and Europe, including Germany, pushing some lawmakers in NATO allies Germany and the US to call for restricting technology transfer to Baykar.

Today, 93 per cent of TB2's parts are locally made, the firm says, adding the TB2 is exported to 24 countries from Africa to central Asia and Europe, bringing in a 1 billion dollar surplus.Bayraktar said he disagrees with criticism that "dronification" lowers the threshold for war.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

He argued that the drone technology rather helps "eliminate collateral damage" thanks to advanced precision and surveillance.

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Turkish drone maker Baykar to counter kamikaze threat in Ukraine

Strong trade partners like Türkiye and Germany should therefore dispel such concerns and focus on defence cooperation instead, Bayraktar said.

Germany has "limited" defence capabilities but it would benefit Berlin if they coordinated better with Turkish counterparts, he added.