Russia, U.A.E. Mull UAV Development with Turkey’s Baykar over TB2 Success

Russia and the U.A.E., two countries which are focusing on creating lethal drones, could collaborate with Turkey’s Baykar, the company that produces the Bayraktar TB2.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that his country was interested in cooperating with Baykar during a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) late Monday, Daily Sabah reported citing various news outlets.

The news comes as a surprise given the fact that the TB2 has actually earned itself fame after it destroyed a variety of Russian military equipment from air defense missiles to howitzers and tanks during its war with Ukraine. This particular drone was used against Moscow in neighboring Syria, as well as in Libya and Karabakh.

Read: Russian Orion-E Drone Makes its First Kill in Ukraine

Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar told CNN International recently that the company “supports Ukraine’s fight for independence and sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, Erdoğan reportedly also said the other offer came from the Abu Dhabi. He said that the U.A.E. offered to establish a Baykar factory in the Gulf country.

Interestingly, the Bayraktar was used by Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in its fight against Libyan National Army (LNA), led by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar and backed by the U.A.E., Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

In February 2022, the U.A.E. held Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX), the only event in the Middle East dedicated for drones, robots and unmanned systems.

“Autonomous systems are becoming ever more prevalent around the world,” Miles Chambers, EDGE’s director of international business development, told AFP. “We are really heavily investing in developing our autonomous capability… as well as in electronic warfare and in our smart munitions. These are our three pillars.”