In remarks quoted by Ukrinform news agency, company CEO Haluk Bayraktar told Defence Industries Forum in Kyiv earlier this month that the footprint will include a production facility, a service center and a head office. “The construction has already begun,” he said. “It will take about a year and a half to complete. We plan to employ at least 300 people here. Cooperation continues.”

A Baykar official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is no authorized to speak to the media, said top executives view Ukraine as a “long-term, strategic partner rather than just a market.”

He said that building a production unit would absorb much of the planned investment, with plans including an “assembly line, composites and a planned engine unit.”

In Kyiv, Bayraktar said that the envisioned investment would be self-sufficient, eco-friendly and mutually beneficial since Ukraine has unique technologies for producing engines that power Turkish drones.

“We also face some challenges. These are the supply chain, the search and development of human capital through the impact of war and the regulatory environment, especially the rules that will support these investments,” he said.

Baykar started by acquiring land for the production unit in Ukraine. It won permission from the Ukrainian government to produce its TB2 and Akinci drones in the country in June. A month later, the company started constructing the plant.

But in August, Russian missiles struck the facilities of Ukrainian aircraft and engine manufacturer Motor Sich, a company deemed of strategic importance to Turkey’s local industry. Motor Sich had been taken over by the Ukrainian government in November 2022 as part of Kyiv’s war effort. The region housing the company’s headquarters, Zaporizhzhia, is partly occupied by Russian forces.

Motor Sich has strategic ties with the Turkish aerospace industry. The company and its affiliate Ivchenko Progress have been providing the AI-450 engines for Turkey’s most prominent armed drone, the Akinci, and their AI-25TLT for the Kizilelma, an unmanned fighter jet in the making and Anka-3, another combat drone. The Akinci and Kizilelma are built by privately-owned Baykar while the Anka-3 is produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Motor Sich engines also power TAI’s ATAK II, a heavyweight attack helicopter. Talks were underway for a Motor Sich engine to power the T925, TAI’s utility helicopter.

A presidential aide in Ankara ruled out a Russian attack on Baykar’s Ukraine production unit, without elaborating why such a strike is deemed unlikely.

Several local companies are already developing unmanned ground vehicles in the hopes their products will be combat-proven by the Turkish military, which would make these systems more attractive on the foreign market.

“This is an almost endless market given Turkey’s [unmanned] technological capabilities and the future requirements of the militaries particularly in the Middle East, Caucasus, Africa and Asia,” according to a presidential aide whose portfolio includes the local defense industry. He spoke to Defense News on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Katmerciler, which specializes in anti-riot vehicles, is one private business seeking a foothold in the unmanned market. In partnership with military electronics specialist Aselsan, Turkey’s largest defense firm, Katmerciler won a Turkish government contract Jan. 3 to develop and produce the Tunga, a medium-weight, tracked unmanned ground vehicle.

The hybrid-powered Tunga can operate for up to six hours, plus another hour and a half with its battery. The multipurpose system can carry weapons and ammunition, and its design allows for maneuverability in urban areas.

“This will be the first vehicle of its kind to enter the inventory of the Turkish military,” Fahrettin Akpak, head of Katmerciler’s research and development department, told the media in August. “In addition, we are assessing export opportunities.”

Another private company, Otokar, has developed Turkey’s first heavyweight unmanned vehicle. The stealthy Alpar can carry a payload of up to 15 tons, and the company says it built the vehicle to minimize personnel loss and human deployment to the battlefield.

The remote-controlled vehicle, which can also carry a miniature unmanned ground vehicle inside its body, was made for reconnaissance, fire support, logistical support and anti-tank warfare missions. Its electric engine has a maximum range of 50 kilometers (31 miles). In hybrid mode, it can operate for up to 500 kilometers.

“UGVs have gained special prominence in countries like Turkey that face asymmetrical warfare threats. Such vehicles will be used in greater numbers as part of network-centric warfare concept,” according to independent defense industry analyst Kaner Kurt.

Indeed, Turkish military planners are interested in operating multidomain drone swarms. In August, the government-controlled military software company Havelsan said it successfully tested this concept, which demonstrated interoperability between two Baha sub-cloud — or low-altitude — unmanned aerial vehicles; two Barkan unmanned ground vehicles; and a swarm consisting of five drones.

“In 2020, the design and development studies of the unmanned ground vehicle Barkan were conducted, the first power supply was provided and the first run was conducted at the end of the year. In the same year, the first design and development studies of the Baha sub-cloud unmanned aerial vehicle began, and the first test flight of Baha was conducted five months later,” Havelsan told Defense News.

The company’s CEO, Mehmet Akif Nacar, said the test also showed “how UAVs could perform reconnaissance, track targets and direct UGVs to the designated targets.”

Havelsan has already delivered the Barkan to the Turkish military. The company also has plans to deliver the Baha to the government, though that timetable is unknown.

“The idea is to sell [export] aerial and ground vehicles operated as a single unit,” Nacar said, noting a Central Asian country has shown interest in the Baha, which would be the vehicle’s second export contract. He did not identify the first customer.

The Middle Eastern, African and Central Asian markets have shown interest in the Baha and Kapgan, Nacar added, and “we are working on integrating different payload demands from different [potential] buyers.”

The Kapgan is an unmanned ground vehicle with a speed exceeding 25 kph (16 mph). The vehicle can operate for six hours, perform autonomous patrol missions and features a 30mm gun.

“Could the Turkish industry repeat the success story it has had in aerial systems in land systems? I think the answer is a cautious ‘yes,’ ” an Ankara-based expert on unmanned systems told Defense News on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic. “The most critical point is whether the local industry will achieve the aerial cost efficiency in land systems too. That, we don’t know. But initial signs are quite promising.”

Tayfun Ozberk in Mersin, Turkey, contributed to this report.

The Aug. 6 missile and drone attack across Ukraine killed six people, Kyiv officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Zaporizhzhia-based facilities of Motor Sich, which his government took over in November, also came under attack.

The privately owned business Baykar builds the Akinci and Kizilelma drones, for which Motor Sich provides engines.

Eugene Kogan, a security and defense analyst based in Tbilisi, Georgia, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was essentially telling his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “Despite our friendly relations and respect to each other, your son-in-law’s undertaking in Ukraine will cost him dearly” — a reference to Baykar chairman Selcuk Bayraktar, who is married to one of the Turkish president’s daughters.

“Any military facility in Ukraine, local or foreign, is a legitimate target, and Russia is not going to be deterred by Ukraine to destroy such targets,” Kogan added.

Motor Sich and Ukrainian firm Ivchenko-Progress have been providing AI-450 engines for the Akinci drone, as well as AI-25TLT engines for the Anka-3 and Kizilelma drones. Turkish Aerospace Industries produces the Anka-3, and Baykar’s Kizilelma is still under development.

Motor Sich engines also power Turkish Aerospace Industries’ Atak II heavyweight combat helicopter. And talks were underway for a Motor Sich engine to power the T925, TAI’s utility helicopter. It’s unclear where negotiations now stand.

In 2019, LLC Avia Ventures, a Baykar subsidiary, obtained permission to produce its Akinci and TB2 drones in Ukraine, with work to start in 2025. In January of that year, Baykar won a $69 million contract to sell six TB2 systems to Ukraine.

Later that year, state-controlled Ukrainian company Ukrspecexport and Baykar signed a deal to develop and produce “sensitive technologies in defense and aerospace.”

And in 2021, Turkey and Ukraine signed a contract to establish a helicopter repair and maintenance facility in Ankara. As part of the deal, Motor Sich would provide spare parts and engine testing services.

Baykar and TAI did not reply to Defense News’ queries.

“We take it [the Russian missile attack on Motor Sich] as a symbolic Russian warning reflecting Russia’s discontent over a few Turkish initiatives,” a senior Turkish diplomat told Defense News on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

While Turkey is a member of NATO, it has maintained friendly relations with Russia. In 2017, Turkey bought the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, angering members of the Western alliance. But last month, Erdoğan met with Zelenskyy and backed Ukraine’s hopes of joining NATO.

Ozgur Eksi, an Ankara-based analyst, said the Aug. 6 attack “is a message both to Ukraine and to Turkey.”

“The Russian attack effectively kills co-production plans and any Turkish appetite to buy Motor Sich,” Eksi told Defense News.

A Turkish procurement official said the country has enough Ukrainian-made engines on hand to run, among others, its drone programs uninterrupted. The official was not authorized to speak to the press, and Defense News could not independently verify the claim.

However, Eksi said, “this may be a short-term solution, but not a relief from a long-term perspective.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Military electronics specialist Aselsan, Turkey’s biggest defense firm, said July 23 that it launched the GÜRZ (“mace” in English) air defense system, designed to protect stationary units as well as military convoys on the move.

The weapon is “an answer to an increase in need to possess assets with strategic maneuvering capabilities,” Aselsan said.

It is designed to target very-low or low-altitude targets like artillery munition or missiles as well as drones, helicopters and fighter jets. The system comes fitted on a 8×8 wheeled platform.

Some analysts here have likened the GÜRZ to an advanced version of the Russian-made Pantsir, a self-propelled, medium-range, air-defense weapon.

Meanwhile, military software company Havelsan, also state-owned, said it delivered its new Barkan unmanned ground system to the Turkish military. Havelsan said it has been testing the robot over the past year and a half, incorporating a 12.7 mm weapon. The company plans to upgrade the system with grenade launchers and other missile variants.

Barkan II, the advanced version, features enhanced mobility. It doubles the vehicle’s weight capacity and is equipped to carry heavy weapons. The Barkan also will be displayed at IDEF 23, the manufacturer said.

Seventy-four Chinese firms are scheduled to attend the International Defence Industry Fair, or IDEF, which is taking place July 25-28 in Istanbul. Meanwhile, five American businesses are signed up.

“There will be hundreds of participants, including high-level official delegations from across the world,” the official said.

“The Chinese will be coming mainly with a view to buying Turkish companies suitable for their longer-term targets,” Ozgur Eksi, who leads the media outlet TurDef, told Defense News.

“After acquisitions, they will bring in their technology, enjoy low production costs in Turkey, produce NATO-standard systems and target NATO system-using markets,” Eksi said. “Those will be ‘made in NATO’ systems heading for countries using ‘made in NATO’ systems.”

According to Eugene Kogan, a security and defense analyst based in Tbilisi, Georgia, Chinese businesses are keen to buy Turkish companies in order to sell to NATO member countries.

“I foresee cooperation between China and Turkey in Africa, where the two countries are trying their best to expel foreign competitors. I think that at the moment, China is interested in buying the second-tier Turkish defense companies where the so-called Western know-how can be combined with Chinese,” Kogan said.

A Chinese diplomat in Ankara declined to comment for this story.

The service received the ship on April 10 during a ceremony attended by Erdoğan, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and top military brass.

Its fully loaded displacement is 27,436 tons, and it measures 231 meters (758 feet) in length, 32 meters in width and 58 meters in height. The ship can carry a battalion-sized unit of 1,200 personnel, eight utility helicopters and three drones. It also can transport 150 vehicles, including battle tanks.

Specifically, the TB-3 armed drone and the Kizilelma combat UAV can launch from the ship. Both aircraft were developed and built by the privately owned Turkish drone-maker Baykar. But the government must be patient for that capability to come to fruition, according to a senior engineer supervising the program for the TCG Anadolu.

“For full operationality on the TCG Anadolu, we must have more powerful engines for the TB-2 and TB-3 drones, and develop folding-wing capabilities for the Kizilelma,” he told Defense News on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. “It will take some time before the ship becomes as operable as we wish it to be.”

Turkey selected local shipyard Sedef in 2013 for the landing platform dock, or LPD, program. The company partnered with Spain’s Navantia.

The original delivery time was five and a half years after Turkey kicked off the effort — by the end of 2021 — meaning the schedule fell behind by more than a year.

The resulting amphibious assault ship, which is based on a Spanish design, cost the Turkish government more than $1 billion, although officials have declined to reveal the exact price. Erdoğan has said the TCG Anadolu will help with military and humanitarian operations around the world.

(Geo)politics

Turkey intended to fly F-35 fighter jets from the TCG Anadolu, but the U.S. removed the country from the multinational Joint Strike Fighter program after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.

Turkey has since switched its primary aerial asset on the ship from the F-35 to the Kizilelma.

“This is not a platform suitable for fighter aircraft, except the F-35 [vertical-takeoff-and-landing] version, which Turkey would never receive. Now that Turkey’s F-35 dream is over, it will be a launching pad for drones and helicopters when they will be operationally fit for operations,” an expert with a think tank told Defense News, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. “The TCG Anadolu was never meant to be an aircraft carrier. This tag became popular for propaganda purposes.”

Indeed, there could be political reasons behind the ship’s construction. One pollster told Defense News Erdogan’s campaign to provide the country with locally made defense systems — including drones, helicopters, the Altay tank, satellites and missiles — could earn the president an extra 3-4 percentage points in the national vote.

Citizens are to vote May 14 on the presidential position and lawmakers’ seats. Those points might be the kingmaker in an election that could very well end up with a 51%-49% margin.

But any gains in popularity at home likely won’t be reflected in neighboring Greece. Despite both countries holding membership in NATO, Athens considers the TCG Anadolu a threat to its sovereignty, according to Ozgur Eksi, who leads the defense-focused, Ankara-based publication TurDef.

In recent years, relations between Turkey and Greece have degraded over airspace and continental shelf disputes. Erdoğan once even threatened to launch a missile at Greece.

“Today, we call the ship [a] UAV carrier, but it is uncertain how UAVs will be piloted under heavy electronic warfare conditions,” Eksi said. “The lack of [a destroyer that can serve as a means of air defense] is another disadvantage, while [the TCG Anadolu’s] medical capabilities provide huge potential for both military and disaster-relief operations. This size ship requires establishing the protection shield at 100 miles minimum. I believe using [it] in the Aegean Sea against Greek islands is almost impossible.”

A presidential adviser said the ship’s main missions will include overseas military and humanitarian operations like those Turkey executed in Libya and Somalia in recent years.

“If needed, the ship will be used to [perform] operations off Cyprus and Syria. This vessel does not exclusively target Greece, our NATO ally,” the adviser explained on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Cem Devrim Yaylali, a Istanbul-based naval analyst published in several defense outlets, said one application of the new ship is force projection.

“Amphibious ships, such as the landing ship dock, landing ship platform and landing ship helicopter, are among the most versatile and multifunctional ships any navy can possess. These vessels can be considered the naval equivalent of Swiss Army knives due to their numerous potential uses,” Yaylali told Defense News. “They can carry a large number of troops, vehicles and equipment, and they can transport them directly to shore for combat operations.

“Additionally, these ships can be used to evacuate combatants and noncombatants from a conflict zone, providing a safe and secure means of transport. [The] Turkish [Navy] has much experience in this area; [it] conducted a very large noncombatants-evacuation operation from Libya in 2011. A ship such as TCG Anadolu would have solved many tactical problems with ease.”

Yaylali noted amphibious ships can also serve as command vessels for a task force, providing a central location for naval commanders to coordinate their forces.

“Furthermore, they can act as logistical supply platforms during humanitarian crises or disasters, providing necessary supplies and aid to affected areas,” Yaylali added.

Additionally, Yaylali said, the local construction of the ship benefited Turkish industry by providing technology transfer and workforce experience.

“This experience and expertise, when combined with the lessons learned from the operation of the ship, can contribute to the development of a completely indigenous amphibious assault ship and potentially create opportunities for export. The development of TCG Anadolu has also helped to enhance Turkey’s human capital in shipbuilding, particularly in the areas of design, engineering and project management,” Yaylali said.

The miniature weapon, known as the Bayraktar Kemankes, was on display April 27 at the Teknofest exhibition in Istanbul.

It is powered by a jet engine and has a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles). The company said it features an auto-pilot system supported by artificial intelligence technolgoy.

The missile can fly at a speed of Mach 0.7 and carry a 30-kilogram (66-pound) payload.

Baykar reported $1.4 billion in revenue for 2022. It announced that 99.3% of its revenue that year came from exports. The company has sold its TB2 combat drone to 28 countries, and its Akinci drones to six countries.

Baykar did not disclose a per unit price for the Kemankes. But a company engineer, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the press, told Defense News his team has tried to minimize the cost to “less than $20,000 per unit.”

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish Navy received its largest vessel on April 10 during a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and top military brass.

The amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu is Turkey’s first landing platform dock. Erdoğan said the military will deploy heavy helicopters, drones and light-attack aircraft from the vessel.

Its fully loaded displacement is 27,436 tons, and it measures 231 meters (758 feet) in length, 32 meters in width and 58 meters in height.

The ship’s primary purpose is to serve as a platform from which the TB-3 armed drone and the Kizilelma combat UAV can launch. Both aircraft were developed and built by the privately owned Turkish drone-maker Baykar.

Erdoğan said that the TCG Anadolu would also help with military and humanitarian operations around the world.

Also on Monday, the president attended the welding ceremony of the three MILGEM corvettes commissioned by the defense procurement office SSB. The MILGEM project is focused on providing patrol and anti-submarine warfare capabilities at sea.

Turkey officially began constructing its first landing platform dock in 2016 when Erdoğan was already talking about production plans for an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered vessel. He has also previously expressed hope that the program for landing platform docks would be the first step toward producing the “most elite” aircraft carrier.

In 2013, Turkey announced it selected the local shipyard Sedef for its LPD program. The company partnered with Spain’s Navantia.

The TCG Anadolu can carry a battalion-sized unit of 1,200 personnel, eight utility helicopters and three drones. It also can transport 150 vehicles, including battle tanks.

The original delivery time was five and a half years after Turkey kicked off the effort — by the end of 2021 — meaning the schedule fell behind by two years.

Turkey intended to fly its future F-35 fighter jets from the ship, but the U.S. removed the country from the multinational Joint Strike Fighter program after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 air defense systems.

Turkey has since switched its primary aerial asset on the TCG Anadolu from the F-35 to the Kizilelma.

The vessel cost Ankara more than $1 billion, although officials have declined to reveal the exact price. Turkey will be the third operator of this ship type, after Spain and Australia.

The state-controlled military electronics specialist is listed on the Istanbul stock exchange, and is the 49th largest defense company in the world, per the Defense News Top 100 list.

The company said its total sales that year reached 35.3 billion liras (U.S. $1.9 billion), and that its pre-tax depreciation and interest profit was 9.5 billion liras, a 77% rise from 2021.

Its net profit in 2022 rose by 70% to 11.9 billion liras.

In a statement, Aselsan said its export orders in 2022 were worth a total of $1 billion. The company added that it did business last year in three new export markets, although it declined to identify them for Defense News. It said the number of export customers has now reached 81.

The company said its procurement from local industry subcontractors last year amounted to 23.4 billion liras, which accounts for 70% of Aselsan’s annual procurement from all sources.

The Turkish firm also said that, during financial year 2022, it successfully “localized/nationalized” a total of 160 systems, meaning the business indigenously produced technology that the country was previously importing. Overall, the company boasts to have done so for a total of 670 systems.

“We signed the contract for ULAQ ASuW [anti-surface warfare] & ASW [anti-submarine warfare] with Defence Industry Agency for the needs of Turkish Navy,” Ares tweeted Dec. 27, referring to the SSB agency.

Ares’ local partner, Meteksan, is another privately owned defense technologies firm.

Ares and SSB officials declined to comment on the contract value and order quantity.

However, an SSB official told Defense News that the ULAQ order is in the “dozens.” Speaking on the condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to talk to the media, the official noted the unit price is a “few million U.S. dollars, depending on the configuration.”

The ULAQ passed acceptance tests in 2022 and is inching toward delivery to the Navy.

In December, SSB chief Ismail Demir announced the ULAQ had enhanced operability with drones and other unmanned platforms for enhanced naval operations. He said the drone was now equipped with a new, locally built propulsion system for faster cruising.

Demir tweeted that Turkey is “equipping ULAQ armed USV with new capabilities, making it fully autonomous and developing it so that it can conduct anti-submarine warfare.”

“Our goal is 90% localization with an indigenous engine, 12.7-mm [remote controlled weapon station], torpedo, L-UMTAS missile, command and control software, communication system, camera, and sonar system,” he added.

Ares had previously identified Oman, Qatar, and African and South American countries as potential export customers for the ULAQ.

The system has a 400-kilometer (249-mile) range and can travel up to 65 kph (40 mph). The surface warfare variant is equipped with day and night vision capabilities as well as encrypted communication infrastructure, which can be operated from mobile vehicles and headquarters, or from sea platforms such as aircraft carriers or frigates.

That infrastructure can be used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, surface warfare, asymmetric warfare, escort missions and strategic infrastructure protection.

The surface warfare variant’s missile systems are inclusive of four cells of Cirit and two of L-UMTAS, manufactured by Turkey’s state-controlled missile-maker Roketsan. The ULAQ will also be equipped with different variations of communication and intelligence technology, like jamming and electronic warfare systems.

The vessel is also expected to be able to carry out joint operations with complementary drones.