One of the leading companies in Türkiye’s defense industry, Baykar, is preparing to enter 2026 with ambitious goals focused on production speed and advanced technologies. Speaking at the Baykar Özdemir Bayraktar Awards Ceremony, Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar outlined both the company’s strategic vision for the coming years and the major milestones achieved throughout 2025. He emphasized that “production” will be the key concept for Baykar in 2026, highlighting accelerated manufacturing across all platforms and rapid progress toward artificial intelligence–supported swarm capabilities.

Bayraktar also underlined Baykar’s social responsibility efforts, recalling that following the February 6 earthquakes, the company completed 1,012 permanent housing units in the disaster zone, enabling thousands of citizens to move into safe and warm homes. On the technological front, he noted that on February 22, the AI-enhanced version of the Bayraktar TB2 successfully took to the skies, symbolizing a new era for the platform. Shortly afterward, the heavy-class UCAV Bayraktar AKINCI surpassed 100,000 flight hours, marking a significant achievement in Turkish aviation history.

Another strategic step came on April 29 with the signing of an agreement with Italy-based aerospace giant Leonardo, paving the way for Turkish UCAV technologies to enter Western European markets. Bayraktar also highlighted TEKNOFEST events held throughout the year, including those in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, TEKNOFEST Blue Homeland and TEKNOFEST Istanbul, which sustained national enthusiasm for technology and innovation.

Operational achievements continued with Bayraktar TB3, which completed 204 sorties during the Deniz Kurdu naval exercise, while Bayraktar TB2 T-AI set a world record in its class by climbing to an altitude of 40,000 feet. However, the most remarkable developments were centered on KIZILELMA. On November 29, KIZILELMA successfully conducted a beyond-visual-range missile launch using a domestically developed AESA radar by ASELSAN and the Gökdoğan missile developed by TÜBİTAK, opening a new chapter in air combat history. This achievement was followed by another global first, as two KIZILELMA unmanned combat aircraft performed close formation flight together.

From an economic perspective, Bayraktar stated that Baykar maintained its leadership in the global UCAV export market in 2025, achieving exports worth 2.2 billion USD. Approximately 90 percent of the company’s revenue was generated from exports, allowing Baykar to retain its title as the world’s largest UCAV manufacturer for the third consecutive year. Looking ahead, Bayraktar expressed strong confidence that with KIZILELMA entering inventory and beginning operational service, Baykar will continue to leave its mark on global defense aviation throughout 2026.