• About
  • Contact
  • News Tips
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Nordic Monitor
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Nordic Monitor
No Result
View All Result

Erdoğan’s son-in-law, the manufacturer of Bayraktar armed drones, worried about change in government

by Levent Kenez
September 2, 2022
Erdoğan’s son-in-law, the manufacturer of Bayraktar armed drones, worried about change in government

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Selçuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and chief technology officer of Baykar Makina, which produces Bayraktar TB2 military drones, said on a television program on Wednesday that Turkey’s drone and unmanned  fighter jet projects would fail if there is no political backing, putting his support behind the current government before the upcoming elections in 2023.

Stating that the drones they produce are the world leader in their class, Bayraktar said if the government loses interest in the projects, there is a risk of losing its leadership in the world.

He also said the same fate would be seen if a government with a different agenda takes office, referring to the opposition parties, which are often accused by Erdoğan of being under the influence of foreign powers.

Bayraktar, who cited the country’s indigenous automobile, the Devrim, that Turkey had produced in 1961 but could not put into mass production because it could not find the necessary economic and political support, claimed that the groundwork had been laid for the same fate for the military drone and  unmanned fighter jet projects.

According to Bayraktar, if the main goal is not to produce the most advanced technology domestically, it is not possible for Turkey to be independent. Saying the fact that he and his brother were given a state medal by Azerbaijan is proof of how useful the drones are, Bayraktar added that if Turkey had imported the armed drones they would not have been successful in the fight against terrorism.

Selçuk Bayraktar and Erdoğan’s daughter Sümeyye.

President Erdoğan sees Baykar as a family business and markets its products in many countries, especially in Africa. It is no secret that Erdoğan, his family members and his business associates benefit immensely from the defense industry and military equipment sales. Baykar takes advantage of all state facilities but also earns high profits in the local and international market with the sale of weapons, for which the only decision-maker is Erdoğan. An important reason for choosing Turkish drones is that Turkey does not have a long export approval process unlike the US and the European Union. 

President Erdoğan, at a graduation ceremony for naval cadets on Thursday, said the Turkish army is much stronger with armed military drones produced by Baykar.

Military experts told Nordic Monitor that Bayraktar drones are a good product in the mid-range drone class but say they are not entirely made of indigenous parts as claimed, stating that imported products from various supply chains constitute critical parts. They also state that the years-long experience and knowledge of the Turkish Armed Forces in drone projects now benefits Baykar. Experts claim Bayraktars could not achieve the desired goals in areas with a strong air defense systems but that it is an ideal weapon to use in the fight against terrorism.

Nordic Monitor previously reported that Bayraktar armed drones performed poorly in Libya and were an easy target for ground fire. According to a report submitted to the UN Security Council by the Panel of Experts on Libya on March 8, 2021, Bayraktar TB-2 armed drones “were easily destroyed in the air by the Pantsir S-1 air defense system,” which was supplied by the United Arab Emirates and later Russia.

 The Ukrainians consider Bayraktar drones one of their most useful weapons in the war with Russia. The Ukrainian people even collected money among themselves to buy Baykar drones for the Ukrainian Army. Baykar announced in June that it would give three drones to Ukraine and wanted the donors to spend the money collected for humanitarian needs.

Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of Baykar Makina, accompanied President Erdoğan on a visit to Ukraine on August 19.

Under a new agreement signed during an official visit by Erdoğan to Kyiv in February 2022, Ukraine will allocate land for a Bayraktar TB2 UAV production facility for 49 years and provide a number of incentives. Parts and materials used in the production of the UAVs will be exempted from duty, and all financial and personnel information regarding the new facility will be kept confidential.

In addition to the UAV factory, a training center will also be built. Baykar will be exempt from income tax for 10 years due to its investments. The expiration of the agreement is January 1, 2035.

For Baykar, which currently uses engines from Ukrainian companies Ivchenko-Progress and Motor Sich in the military drones they produce, the production facility in Ukraine will also provide convenience in terms of logistics and time.

Previous Post

HTS terrorist allowed to use Turkish banks despite UN sanctions and presidential decree

Next Post

Erdoğan prevented parliament from investigating ISIS-linked NGOs in Turkey

Levent Kenez

Levent Kenez

[email protected]

Next Post
Erdoğan prevented parliament from investigating ISIS-linked NGOs in Turkey

Erdoğan prevented parliament from investigating ISIS-linked NGOs in Turkey

Donate

Nordic Monitor

Nordic Monitor is a news web site and tracking site that is run by the Stockholm-based Nordic Research and Monitoring Network. It covers religious, ideological and ethnic extremist movements and radical groups, with a special focus on Turkey.

Tags

al-Qaeda Andrei Karlov Andrei Karlov China coup Cyprus Diyanet Egypt espionage Germany Greece Gülen Movement Hakan Fidan Hulusi Akar IHH Iran IRGC Quds Force ISIL ISIS Isis al-qaida Israel Libya Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu MIT Muslim Brotherhood NATO President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Profiling Qatar Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Russia SADAT Saudi Arabia spying Spying Activities Suleyman Soylu Sweden Syria The United States Torture Turkey Turkish Intelligence Agency Ukraine United States Yasin al-Qadi

Recent News

Turkish intelligence’s vast network of surveillance in Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia exposed in secret files

Turkey runs special covert operations in Western Europe, US and Canada, secret document reveals

February 1, 2023
Erdoğan’s security advisor says it’s time to stop purchasing American weapons and fighter jets

Erdoğan’s security advisor says it’s time to stop purchasing American weapons and fighter jets

January 31, 2023
Turkish intelligence agency’s secret profiling of critics exposed

The killer in cold case rewarded by Turkish military and intelligence agency MIT

January 30, 2023

Copyright © Nordic Research and Monitoring Network All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us

Copyright © Nordic Research and Monitoring Network All rights reserved.