Haluk Bayraktar, the chief executive officer of the Baykar company (Turkey), has said that his company is aiming to complete the construction of a factory for production of unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine in two years.

The CFTS portal reported this, citing the Ukrinform news agency.

"Our plan is moving ahead. Right now, we have the architectural design. The detailed design phase is finished, and we will move ahead with construction actually… Within two years, we would like to finish it," Bayraktar said on the sidelines of the SAHA EXPO Defense and Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul.

He also said that his company, which makes the Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci unmanned aerial vehicles, would earn about USD 1 billion in export revenue this year, about 50% more than it earned last year. According to Bayraktar, the company will invest the revenue in expansion of production lines.

"Our production capacity for the TB2: we do 20 units per month. For 2023, our target is to do a minimum of 30 per month," he said.

The Baykar chief executive officer also said that research and development on the Kizilelma fast drone fighter jet, which analysts say represents a significant expansion of capabilities for slow-moving reconnaissance and missile carrying drones, would pick up as well. According to him, this fighter jet’s maiden flight is expected to take place in the next few months.

He also said that the TB3, a short-runway-capable version of the TB2, is expected to complete its testing phase by the end of 2023.