Turkish drone-maker Baykar signs major export deal with Saudi Arabia

Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar signed the largest defense deal in Turkish history with Saudi Arabia.

Haluk Bayraktar, the general manager of the firm, tweeted on Tuesday that Baykar and the Saudi Defense Ministry signed a deal for the firm’s combat drone named Akinci.

Baykar said in a statement that the agreement was signed by Bayraktar and Halid Bin Huseyin El Bayari, the deputy Saudi defense minister.

Akinci will enter the Saudi army’s inventory and the firm will provide technical, logistic, and educational services to the army, Baykar said.

Cooperation will be made on technology transfer and joint production between the two countries in the upcoming period, it added.

Bayraktar also said that the cooperation aims not only to strengthen the ties between the two countries but also to contribute to regional and global peace.

The statement added that Akinci has entered four NATO and two EU member countries’ inventory so far.

Akinci can carry various payloads and it is equipped with dual artificial intelligence avionics.

It is able to conduct operations that are performed with fighter jets, carrying electronic support systems, dual satellite communication systems, air-to-air radar, collision avoidance radar and synthetic aperture radar.

It can be used in air-to-ground and air-to-air attack missions as well.

As part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the two countries signed a series of deals on Monday in various areas including investment, the defense industry, energy, and