Turkey’s defense technology company Baykar delivered 20 armed drones to the UAE this month, two Turkish sources said, and could sell more, as diplomatic relations between the two former regional foes improve to allow for contracts in the military field.
International demand for Baykar’s drones has soared after their impact on the conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Libya.
Military sources say the UAE and its ally Saudi Arabia now hope to take advantage of their rapprochement with Turkey to counter the growing security challenge from Iran and the proxy forces acting in its favour.
The two Gulf countries were subjected to drone attacks on cities and oil facilities, which Houthi militants allied with Iran in Yemen accused of launching.
“Archyde.com” quoted a source familiar with the talks that Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are negotiating to obtain drones (Bayraktar TB2) from Ankara. “It was decided during negotiations with the UAE to quickly deliver 20 armed drones,” the source said, adding that they were transferred earlier this month.
A senior Turkish official confirmed that his country had handed over some drones to the UAE, which is requesting more. The official said that Saudi Arabia also wants to buy armed drones and establish a factory to produce them.
The official said that “Baykar” is studying the Saudi request to establish a factory, but he made it clear that the strategic decision belongs to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that there are other issues, such as Saudi investments in Turkey, “not moving as quickly as possible.”
Baykar, the UAE foreign ministry, and the Saudi government communications office did not respond to a request for comment. The Turkish Defense Ministry referred questions to the state Defense Industries Group, which declined to comment.
Analysts say that for Erdogan, who faces a difficult election next year with rising inflation and a weakening Turkish lira, the prospect of Gulf investment and a boost in foreign exchange has been a key goal of political reconciliation.
The company is building its only other production facilities outside Turkey in Ukraine, where Bayraktar TB2 drones helped undermine Russia’s military advantage in the weeks after the invasion in February.
The successes of the Baykar aircraft on the battlefield helped the company to lead lucrative Turkish military exports. The company’s CEO, Khaluk Bayraktar, who runs it with his brother Selcuk – President Erdogan’s son-in-law – said last month that Baykar had signed contracts with 22 countries to export the TB2 drones.
He told a Ukrainian military service in August that the company currently produces 20 Bayraktar TB2 planes per month, and that the order book for this model and other drones is full for the next three years.
“There are orders for armed drones from many countries and regions,” the senior Turkish official said. “Some of the countries that bought it are placing additional orders. They (the countries) are very satisfied with the results…but technically, not all the demand can be met,” he added.
While Turkish drones cannot match the models produced by market leaders, Israel and the United States, in terms of technology, they are lower in price and export restrictions.
A Western military source said that the performance of these aircraft is better than the Chinese or Iranian drones that Russia has deployed in Ukraine.
The source said that the two models of Iranian drones, Shahid and Mohajer, “have some characteristics of the TB2, but without the speed and accuracy” of these Turkish planes.
“The Saudis and Emiratis want to eliminate the effectiveness of Iranian drones. If they get the TP2 they will be able to .stop the flow of Iranian drones,” he added.