Saudi Arabia to buy Bayraktar drones: Report

ISTANBUL

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is preparing for talks to buy Turkish Bayraktar drones, an international news site has said.

“The Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) has expressed interest in Turkish drones and is ready for talks with the producing company, Baykar,” Lebanon-based Tactical Report wrote on May 22.

The site is known for its feature news on intelligence from Middle Eastern countries.

The allegation drew interest on local media, with daily Milliyet headlining, “Another candidate for Bayraktar.”

“The number of countries that the TB2 drones have been exported to has reached 20,” the daily wrote on May 23.

The company has another unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UAV), “Bayraktar Akıncı,” a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE). The first three units entered service with the Turkish Armed Forces on Aug. 29, 2021.

According to local reports, Baykar has made a deal with three countries for the sale of “Bayraktar Akıncı.”

The Turkish drones got worldwide fame amid the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War that broke out on Sept. 27, 2020, between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Turkey, as a rising drone power in the international arena, took on a game-changing role in the region by supplying its ally Azerbaijan with UAVs for use in the conflict and significantly contributed to Azerbaijan’s victory.