State-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries said on messaging service X, formerly known as Twitter, that Saudi Arabia and Turkish defense company Baykar Tech had inked a strategic deal to localize drone production in the kingdom. The agreement "will enhance SAMI's role in supporting the national defense industry and strengthening our local capabilities," SAMI said.
In the largest defense transaction in Turkish history, Saudi Arabia decided in July to purchase drones from Baykar. Since 2021, when Ankara began a diplomatic campaign to mend relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, investments and finance from the Gulf have helped relieve strain on Turkey's economy and its currency reserves.
Due to Ankara's support of pro-democracy movements in the Middle East and North Africa and the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, Turkey and the two Gulf governments had been at odds for years.
In 1986, Baykar Tech was established with the intention of serving the automobile industry. Today, Baykar is the top UAV and AI company in Turkey.The success of Baykar's military innovations, which are employed by the Turkish Armed Forces and exported overseas, is largely due to our development- and people-focused culture. We concentrate on creating cutting-edge disruptive technologies for the aviation industry at our Baykar R & D Center, which has been authorized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology.