Turkish UAV maker signs export deal with Croatia

ISTANBUL

Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) producer Baykar signed an export agreement in Zagreb with the Defense Ministry of Croatia, the company announced Thursday in a statement.

The deal includes Baykar's combat UAV Bayraktar TB2.

"The Bayraktar TB2, Türkiye’s leading defense platform, will join Croatia’s security forces inventory and begin operations in Croatian airspace," it said.

The deal was signed by Croatian defense chief Ivan Anusic and Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar.

"This agreement marks another NATO and European Union member nation adding the Bayraktar TB2 to its inventory, reaffirming Baykar's global leadership.

"The Bayraktar TB2, described by experts as a UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicle) transforming the nature of warfare, is favored by countries in Asia, Africa, and NATO and EU member states," said Baykar.

The statement said that as of November, Türkiye’s indigenous combat drones have been operational in the inventories of six NATO and four EU member countries.

The Bayraktar TB2, entering the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces in 2014, is manufactured almost entirely from domestic sources at 93%.​​​​​​​