Turkey’s leading defense and aerospace company Baykar has announced a major investment in the Black Sea region — its first production base in Anatolia will be built in the city of Samsun. In a statement shared on the national social platform NeXT Sosyal, the company declared: “Baykar’s new production base will rise in Samsun, the symbol city of the National Struggle. This investment will bring high-tech manufacturing capability and qualified employment to the region, making the Black Sea an important center for defense and aerospace industries.”

The new facility will be located on a 400-decare (approximately 100-acre) industrial zone in the Tekkeköy district. Designed as a fully integrated complex, the plant will host research and development, production, and testing activities under one roof. With this investment, Baykar aims to expand its manufacturing capacity for domestic and export markets while strengthening Turkey’s defense industrial ecosystem in northern Anatolia. The project is also expected to provide significant employment opportunities for engineers, technicians, and skilled workers in the region.

Since beginning its UAV R&D journey in 2003, Baykar has financed all of its projects with its own resources and has generated around 85% of its revenue from exports. In both 2023 and 2024, the company achieved $1.8 billion in exports, maintaining its position as one of Turkey’s top 10 exporters overall. According to data from the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), Baykar has been the defense and aerospace export leader for four consecutive years.

Baykar currently holds export agreements with 36 countries — 35 for the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV and 15 for the Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV — making it the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle exporter. The Samsun production base is expected to further increase Baykar’s output capacity, enabling the company to meet rising global demand and support Turkey’s growing presence in the international defense market.

Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Halit Doğan praised the development, stating, “The second century of our Republic will be the century of Samsun.” He expressed gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and Baykar executives Haluk and Selçuk Bayraktar for their support, adding, “This investment will transform Samsun into a strategic hub for Turkey’s defense industry.”