Ukraine forming joint venture with Turkey to produce 48 Bayraktar TB2 Drones

Ukraine is forming a joint venture company with Turkey to domestically produce as many as 48 Bayraktar TB2 combat drones.

The news came from Vadym Ihorovych, General Director of Ukrspetsexport, a state-owned Ukrainian defense manufacturer, in an interview with online publication Left Bank, The Defense Post reports.

Bayraktar TB2 is manufactured by Turkey’s Baykar Makina, a manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and artificial intelligence systems.

In 2019, Ukrspetsexport and Baykar Makina established Black Sea Shield to develop UAS, engine technologies, and guided munitions. Ihorovych said a company similar to Black Sea Shield is now being formed to undertake the production of the drones in Ukraine.