With drone gift to Ukraine, Turkey's Baykar wins fans and clients

Defense contractor sends three TB2s to Kyiv in nod to crowdfunding drive

From left, Baykar's three unmanned vehicles the Akinci, a prototype of the Kizilelma and the Bayraktar TB2 are seen at the company's factory located near Istanbul. © Baykar

SINAN TAVSAN, Nikkei staff writer

June 29, 2022 18:15 JST

CANAKKALE, Turkey -- Baykar Defense, the Turkish defense contractor where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son-in-law is a top director, showed some public relations savvy this week when it announced that it is donating three armed drones to Ukraine free of charge.

The company was responding to a crowdfunding effort that raised $20 million in less than three days to buy Baykar's mainstay Bayraktar TB2 drones for Ukraine.