Turkish defence company Baykar has started building a factory near Kyiv that will employ around 500 people and where it will manufacture either its TB2 or TB3 drone models, the company's chief executive told Reuters.
"Our factory is being built… we need about 12 months to finish construction and then we will move on to internal machinery, equipment, and organizational structure," Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said on the sidelines of the World Defense Show in Riyadh.
"The factory in Ukraine is a big one, we are planning to employ around 500 people," he said.
Bayraktar noted that capacity would total around 120 units every year, but said it was still not clear whether production at the Ukrainian factory would focus on the TB2 or TB3 drone model.
Asked if security issues related to the ongoing conflict would pose a concern for the plant, he said that plans were "fully moving ahead" and that "nothing" could halt them.
Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk held a working meeting with Baykar Makina CEO Haluk Bayraktar.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said that the use of Bayraktar drones for their intended purpose, striking enemy forces, is currently ineffective.