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Turkish drone giant Baykar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation with South Korea’s flag carrier, Korean Air, on Wednesday at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025 in Istanbul.
The deal was signed by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar and Korean Air General Manager Kh Lee.
The 17th edition of IDEF commenced on Tuesday, featuring numerous domestic and international exhibitors at the Istanbul Fair Center.
Baykar, globally renowned for its drone production, is among dozens of Turkish companies participating in the event. Defense and aviation giants, such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Lockheed Martin and Airbus, are also participating in the event with their products.
Speaking at IDEF on Tuesday, Bayraktar highlighted the momentum Türkiye has gained in its defense industry, stating that the main goal is to achieve independence in every field and to have sufficient capacity.
He stressed that Baykar alone controls 60% of the global unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market. He also said they are fighting with great determination in Türkiye’s journey from 80% foreign dependence to 80% localization.
Developments in the defense industry are an expression of the spirit of the Turkish nation, which has never allowed its freedom to be shackled, Bayraktar also said.
He added that this is an expression of the political vision of the bureaucracy and the will of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to support the entire defense industry ecosystem.
Turning to Turkish defense products, he said Turkish defense giant Aselsan is one of Baykar’s most important partners.
He emphasized that Baykar had tested the ASELFLIR-600 electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system developed by Aselsan on Baykar’s Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), stating, “it is twice as good as its foreign counterparts.”
