In an interview with the US defense magazine Breaking Defense, Haluk Bayraktar, the General Manager of Baykar, expressed that the company is making significant strides, comparable to an "icebreaker," to pave the way for other Turkish defense industry enterprises.
The landmark defense agreement signed between Saudi Arabia and Baykar in July, marking the largest deal in Turkey's defense history, solidified Saudi Arabia's purchase of drones from the leading Turkish defense industry firm.
Recently, Baykar expanded its export and collaboration endeavors with Saudi Arabia by sealing an export and cooperation pact with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense for the Bayraktar AKINCI Attack Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TİHA).
The analysis by the US defense magazine Breaking Defense spotlighted the remarks of Haluk Bayraktar, underscoring the significance of these agreements.
Bayraktar, in his statement to the magazine, highlighted Baykar's pioneering role and its capacity to foster opportunities for other Turkish defense industry companies.
Bayraktar noted: "Our partners ASELSAN and ROKETSAN have also struck agreements with NCMS based on their technological capabilities. These agreements will pave the way for numerous companies in the Turkish defense and aerospace sector to form new partnerships and expand their export capacities."
Bayraktar emphasized that the recent agreement entails SAMI (Saudi Arabian Military Industries) aiding in the domestic production of Akıncı parts. He added, "In doing so, we are contributing to technology transfer by sharing the knowledge and expertise we have accumulated through years of R&D efforts."
"I believe these agreements will significantly bolster Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative, aimed at localizing technology development and production," Bayraktar remarked.
While Aselsan and Roketsan are the initial Turkish companies following Baykar's lead, Breaking Defense's experts predict that more will join. They opine that these agreements will forge a lasting relationship between the defense industries of both nations, further enhancing Türkiye's collaborations with other Gulf countries.
