Saudi Arabia To Buy Armed Turkish Drones

Turkish combat drone maker Baykar has inked a deal to import armed drones to Saudi Arabia.

The company chief executive and a top Saudi official announced on Tuesday.

Baykar recently drew global attention after Ukrainian forces largely used its TB2 drones against the Russian invasion since early 2022.

Saudi Arabia will purchase Akıncı TİHA air-to-ground and air-to-air attack drones, Baykar chief executive Haluk Bayraktar wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

He called it “the largest defence and aviation exports agreement” in modern Turkish history.

Two acquisition contracts were signed “with the aim of enhancing the readiness of the kingdom’s armed forces,” Saudi Defence Minister
Khalid bin Salman separately wrote on Twitter.

The deal was signed during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the country.

Saudi Arabia is the sixth country to buy the medium-altitude Akıncıs, the firm said in a statement.

A total of 30 countries have so far agreed to buy the popular TB2 combat drones, with nearly 1.2 billion U.S. dollars
export value in 2022, it added.

NAN