Türkiye’s defense industry is expanding its global footprint in unmanned aerial systems with a new strategic partnership between HAVELSAN and Egypt’s Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI). The two sides signed an agreement to jointly produce and assemble Türkiye’s proven sub-cloud UAVs—BAHA, BOZBEY, and BULUT—in Egypt, aiming to provide high-performance yet affordable aerial solutions for the African market. The collaboration represents a significant step in Türkiye’s growing defense diplomacy and Africa-oriented industrial partnerships.

Under the agreement, HAVELSAN and AOI will establish a joint production line focused on UAV assembly, integration, and testing. The partnership will also include knowledge transfer, training, and maintenance support, ensuring local sustainability and long-term industrial capacity. Speaking at the signing ceremony, HAVELSAN CEO Mehmet Akif Nacar expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration, emphasizing that the alliance “will bring autonomous UAV technologies to the region, boost local production capability, and establish a strong foothold for HAVELSAN in Africa.”

AOI Chairman Major General Mokhtar Abdullatif highlighted that the partnership is more than a manufacturing project: “It is a step toward technological independence and sustainable export capability for the region.” Combining HAVELSAN’s technological expertise with AOI’s manufacturing infrastructure, the initiative is expected to accelerate Egypt’s defense modernization efforts while strengthening regional cooperation in high-tech production.

The BAHA, BOZBEY, and BULUT UAVs—each capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)—are designed for high operational endurance, autonomous mission control, and multi-sensor integration. They perform reconnaissance, surveillance, target marking, and intelligence tasks in both day and night operations, even under challenging weather conditions. These systems have already proven their reliability in field tests and are well-suited for border security, coastal surveillance, and disaster response missions across Africa’s diverse environments.

The HAVELSAN–AOI partnership is expected to deepen defense-industrial ties between Türkiye and Egypt while promoting regional self-sufficiency. Through this initiative, HAVELSAN aims to deliver scalable, cost-effective UAV systems tailored to African users, supporting the continent’s growing demand for indigenous and sustainable defense technologies.