Saudi Arabia signs major deal with Turkey to acquire Baykar drones

Riyadh has long been interested in Baykar drones and the possibility of producing the weapons in Saudi Arabia.
A young man looks at the Bayraktar TB2 drone, manufactured by Turkey's Baykar, as it is presented during the opening of the Teknofest Azerbaijan aerospace and technology festival at Baku Crystal Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan, May 27, 2022.
A young man looks at the Bayraktar TB2 drone, manufactured by Turkey's Baykar, as it is presented during the opening of the Teknofest Azerbaijan aerospace and technology festival at Baku Crystal Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan, May 27, 2022. - -/AFP via Getty Images
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Ezgi Akin
@ezgi_akin

ANKARA — Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed five deals to boost cooperation in economic, defense and energy during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Gulf powerhouse, Turkish officials announced Tuesday.

The Turkish presidency's communications directorate said one of the deals was signed between the Turkey's leading drone Manufacturer Baykar's CEO Haluk Bayraktar and Deputy Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud without elaborating further, but the latter said the deal involves two acquisition contracts and that it aims to enhance the readiness of the kingdom's armed forces and bolstering its defense and manufacturing capabilities. 

CEO Haluk Bayraktar described the deal as “the biggest defense and aviation export contract” in Turkey’s history, in a Twitter post. He added that the deal includes the exportation of the Akinci TIHA, a high-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle. 

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