Saudi Arabia signs major order for Turkish drones
Jul 18, 03:11 PM
MILAN — Saudi Arabia is set to give a boost to
Turkey’s struggling economy through a major drone contract negotiated with
Turkish firm Baykar, one that the company’s CEO is calling the biggest sale
between the two countries in Turkish defense history.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan embarked last
week on a Gulf tour amid an ongoing financial crisis in Turkey, with the
country’s currency plunging in value and inflation skyrocketing.
The first stop on Erdogan’s agenda was Jeddah,
where he attended alongside Saudi’s ruler Mohammed bin Salman the signing of a
contract between Baykar and the Saudi Ministry of Defense for the purchase of
Akinci combat drones.
Bakyar CEO Haluk Bayraktar declined to comment on
the total contract value and number of systems acquired, citing customer
preference.
“What I can say is that it represents the biggest
deal signed with Saudi Arabia in Turkish defense history in a single contract,”
he told Defense News. Bayraktar added that the company’s flagship product, the
TB2 drone, was not part of the deal.
The latest order makes Saudi Arabia the third
confirmed Gulf operator of Turkish Baykar drones after Qatar and Kuwait. The
latter announced last month it signed a contract
worth $367 million for TB2s.
Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman stated
in a tweet on July 18 that the country will acquire the systems “with the aim
of enhancing the readiness of the Kingdom’s armed forces and bolstering its
defense and manufacturing capabilities.”
Bayraktar said there are plans to carry out some
of the production of the Akincis locally.
The deal represents a turn-around between the two
countries who have often been at odds in the last decade, following Turkish
support to Qatar during the 2017 diplomatic crisis and Erdogan joining Western
powers in blaming the Saudi government, and Mohammed bin Salman specifically,
for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Erdogan will also visit Qatar and the UAE during
his Gulf visit.
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