Baykar invests $300 million in jet engine development to enhance drone capabilities

In a strategic response to mounting global supply chain challenges, Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar is reallocating resources to enhance its in-house production capabilities. The company’s CEO, Haluk Bayraktar, announced a substantial investment of $300 million over the next five years to develop jet engines, according to Reuters reporting.

Baykar has garnered international acclaim for its drone technology, particularly the TB2 and Akinci models, which have been deployed by Ukrainian forces against Russian aggression and in various operations across Azerbaijan and North Africa. This surge in demand has positioned Baykar as a leading exporter of drones, with sales to 35 countries, contributing to about one-third of Türkiye’s total defense and aerospace exports.

During an interview at the SAHA defense exhibition in Istanbul, Bayraktar stressed the urgency of addressing supply chain disruptions, stating, “With supply chain continuity a major issue worldwide, we’re focused on in-house manufacturing. The missing piece is the engine, and now we are beginning our own development project.”

The company’s initial focus will be on creating a turboprop engine for the Akinci drone, which is expected to follow with a turbofan engine for the Kizilelma, an unmanned aerial combat vehicle currently in flight trials. Presently, both drones rely on engines sourced from Ukraine. Baykar has also engaged in a collaborative agreement with Ivchenko-Progress to co-develop a turbofan engine.

Looking ahead, Baykar is betting on the future of unmanned aerial vehicles, envisioning a shift away from traditional piloted fighter jets. Bayraktar remarked, “There are 13,000 piloted fighter jets in the world, and we are betting that over the next four decades all of them will be autonomous. They’ll be smaller, employed in riskier missions, and easier to manufacture. Their numbers will be an order of magnitude higher than the fighter jets we have today.”