Turkish defense company Baykar has started building a factory near Kyiv that will employ around 500 people and where it will manufacture either its TB2 or TB3 drone models, said the company’s chief executive, as per Reuters.
Bayraktar drones, manufactured in Türkiye, have garnered international attention for their deployment by the Ukrainian military in countering Russian forces. These drones have proven effective against armored vehicles and artillery systems.
Baykar has said since 2028, it has signed export deals for its drones with 30 countries, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya, and Azerbaijan.
CEO Haluk Bayraktar, speaking at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, said that construction was underway for their factory, which, once completed in about 12 months, would proceed to internal machinery, equipment, and organizational setup.
According to Bayraktar, the Ukrainian factory, with a yearly production capacity reaching around 120 units, was anticipated to employ around 500 people.
Asked if security issues related to the Russian war would pose a threat to the plant, he said that plans were “fully moving ahead” and that “nothing” could halt them.
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