Rear Admiral Recep Erdinç Yetkin declared that the TB3 UCAV will begin operations aboard TCG Anadolu in September, while Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar stated that production lines for Akıncı UCAVs are under construction in Saudi Arabia.
During Teknofest Mavi Vatan, Rear Admiral Recep Erdinç Yetkin and Selçuk Bayraktar spoke with Agnes Helou from Breaking Defense, sharing exclusive information on two critical programs. According to Helou’s post on her personal social media account, the TB3 will be operational on TCG Anadolu L400 in September 2025.
Commenting on the $3 billion Akıncı export deal signed with Saudi Arabia in July 2023, Bayraktar confirmed: “Production lines for Akıncı UCAV are being built in KSA and the first delivery will take place in 2025. The intellectual property will be jointly shared between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.”
The agreement covers not only the procurement of around 60 Akıncı UCAVs but also technology transfer and local production in Saudi Arabia, making it one of the largest defence export contracts in the history of the Republic. Deliveries are expected between 2025 and 2026.
Manufacturing is planned at SAMI facilities in the kingdom, where the airframe, avionics, wiring and subsystems will be produced locally, alongside software sharing. ASELSAN and ROKETSAN, two Turkish partners, are also working together to make smart bombs, electro-optical systems, and guiding kits. In July 2024, SAMI and Baykar signed three more MoUs to work together more on UAV systems.
Bayraktar’s remarks gain additional weight after reports that U.S.-based General Atomics is preparing to sign its largest international MQ-9 UAV contract with Saudi Arabia.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
