Baykar Set to Complete Drone Factory in Ukraine by August 2025

24 October, 2024 Graphic representation of the project of the Turkish drone factory Baykar in Ukraine. Photo credits: Baykar Turkish aircraft manufacturer Baykar will complete the construction of a factory in Ukraine in August 2025.

According to Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, the construction is 80% complete. Back in February 2024, Haluk Bayraktar confirmed that a drone production plant was being built in the Kyiv region. As its next step, the company plans to start installing all necessary equipment and creating an organizational structure.

"The plant in Ukraine is large, we plan to employ about 500 people," Bayraktar stated earlier this year.

Khalyuk Bayraktar. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas.

In response to whether Baykar's plans are threatened by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Haluk Bayraktar stated that the plans are progressing and nothing can hinder them. In total, Baykar is investing £100 million in three projects in Ukraine.

The plant's capacity will be able to reach the production of about 120 drones per year, but a specific model has not yet been chosen--it could be Bayraktar TB2 or even TB3. The new Bayraktar TB3 drone is visually similar to the Bayraktar TB2, but has larger dimensions and folding wings for deployment on aircraft carriers or universal landing craft. The Bayraktar TB3 is superior to its predecessor in all respects.

It can carry a payload of up to 280 kg and has a maximum takeoff weight of 1450 kg.

Bayraktar TB3 drone. March 2023. Photo: Selchuk Bayraktar

The claimed flight duration of the TB3 is more than 50 hours, and the maximum speed is 300 kilometers per hour.

The drone has 6 missile and bomb mounts, which, together with its payload capacity, will allow it to use a wide range of modern precision weapons.