Baykar ranks among Türkiye’s top 10 exporters in defense and aerospace
Haluk Bayraktar (second from left) receiving the award from Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the TİM 31st General Assembly and Champions of Export Award Ceremony at Halic Congress Center, Istanbul, June 8, 2024. (Haluk Bayraktar's official X account)
Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar announced that Baykar has become one of Türkiye’s top 10 exporters, stating, “For the last three years, we have been the clear leader in exports within defense and aerospace sectors. For the first time in Türkiye’s export history, a defense and aerospace company has made it into the top 10 exporters.”
The “Champions of Export” award ceremony, hosted by the Turkish Exporters Assembly was held at the Halic Congress Center with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Baykar, the export champion in the defense and aerospace industries, also became one of Türkiye’s top 10 exporting companies. The award was presented to Haluk Bayraktar by President Erdogan.
In his statement on X regarding the matter, Haluk Bayraktar emphasized that Baykar has become one of Turkiye’s top 10 exporters and has been the undisputed export leader in the defense and aerospace sectors for the past three years.
Bayraktar highlighted that Baykar is the company that exports to the most countries in the world in the field of high-tech UAVs, stating, “For the first time in Türkiye’s export history, a defense and aerospace company has entered the top 10 exporters. So, how did Baykar, which started as a venture in UAV technology, achieve this success? In the early 2000s, we started with the Bayraktar Mini UAV, a 6-kilogram aircraft. We invested in R&D for seven years. During these seven years, we did not earn a single penny of revenue.”
“However, we believed that UAVs would create a paradigm shift on the battlefield and become the technology of the future. We worked day and night with our team, believing that this journey we embarked on would spark a significant impact for our country. We climbed the steps one by one. We researched, developed, produced, witnessed their entry into inventory, and saw our national UAVs change the world. Our efforts, which began with a single drill, grew. Today, we have become a large family of 4,500 people.”
He added, “We carried out all our projects entirely with our own resources. We became the export leader with just a single product, the Bayraktar TB2 UAV. Now, we are also making export agreements for the Bayraktar Akinci. So far, we have signed export agreements with 34 countries. We have become one of the world’s top 100 companies in defense and aerospace. We are happy and proud. This pride also belongs to our nation, whose support we have always felt. We will continue to work to benefit our nation and humanity. Because our next dream and goal, Bayraktar Kizilelma, is on the horizon.”
Baykar, named the sector’s export champion by the Presidency of Defense Industries in 2023, achieved exports totaling 1.8 billion dollars last year. In 2023, Baykar single-handedly accounted for one-third of the Türkiye’s defense and aerospace exports, with over 90% of its revenues coming from exports in recent years.
Baykar’s success in the sector led to the prominent figures of the company, the Bayraktar brothers Selcuk and Haluk Bayraktar, making it onto Forbes’ billionaires list. With an approximate fortune of $1.2 billion, Selçuk Bayraktar ranked 24th among Turkish billionaires. According to the list, Bayraktar is the 2,410th richest person in the world. Baykar’s General Manager Haluk Bayraktar entered the list last year with a fortune of $1.1 billion
