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Turkish combat drone manufacturer Baykar plans to soon be able to fend off kamikaze drones in Ukraine — the Iranian drones deployed by Russia that have been destroying critical infrastructure in Ukraine for weeks.

The company’s director, Haluk Bayraktar, told the German news agency that drones with missile equipment would then be able to fight planes and helicopters in addition to enemy drones. “We are already doing tests,” Bayraktar said at a fair in Istanbul, as reported by the Turkish newspaper “Daily Sabah”.

Specifically, it concerns the “Bayraktar TB2” and “Akıncıs” models. The Ukrainian army has been using the “TB2” against the Russian invaders since February.

Especially the Shahed-136 combat drones are notorious

During the SAHA Expo fair, the drone manufacturer Baykar and the Turkish missile and missile manufacturer Roketsan signed a cooperation agreement to equip the unmanned drones with missiles.

Murat Ikinc, general manager of Roketsan, sees this as a decisive step in warfare: the armed drones will allow Ukraine to establish a cost-effective air patrol concept instead of using expensive air-to-air missiles. These are fired into the air to hit targets in the air.

According to the report, Ukraine is currently trying to intercept kamikaze drones deployed by Russia with fighter jets. The use of drones is considered a cheaper solution.

The recent introduction of Iranian “Shahed-136” drones by Moscow had complicated the situation for Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a “major catastrophe” if the wave of kamikaze attacks on power plants continued through the winter.

Bayraktar: Drone Warfare Prevents Collateral Damage

The kamikaze drones are slow, noisy and deployed at low altitudes, making them “easy targets,” Bayraktar said. The company Baykar wants to set up a production facility in Ukraine within a year. Last week, general manager Bayraktar had already asked Germany to cooperate more. “All concerns about Turkey must be allayed.” Germany is very limited in defense technology.

The Turkish company has been criticized by Russian side. The company’s weapons are said to have contributed to the destruction of the flagship Moskva in April. Baykar was reportedly targeted by Russian intelligence using deepfake technology.

According to the “Daily Sabah” report, Bayraktar refutes criticism that “drone warfare” lowers the threshold to war. Instead, the drone technology helps to “prevent collateral damage” through advanced precision and surveillance.

(cpf/dpa,cli)