‘No missile can hurt our friendship’: Baykar CEO on building drone factory in Ukraine

Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Our relationship with Ukraine goes well beyond a simple trade agreement. At the foundation of this relationship are our friendship, which focuses on Ukraine’s total independence and territorial integrity, and our spirit of cooperation,” Bayraktar said.

He noted that the decision to sell — and later to donate Bayraktar TB2 combat drones — was made to support the Ukrainian people.

“The steps taken in 2018 were part of Ukraine’s long-term vision. Our later decisions to grant, in turn, came in response to the Ukrainian people’s incredible resistance and the sincere spirit of solidarity and goodness led by people around the globe. For us, that was a moral obligation,” he explained.

Commenting on Russian attacks targeting the plant which the Baykar company is building in Ukraine, the CEO assured that no attack would affect the company’s commitment to Ukraine.

“The factory we have built in Ukraine is the most concrete symbol of our faith in Ukraine’s bright future… No missile can hurt our friendship. This attack did not result in any changes to our plans. We have completed the damage assessment and we are moving forward as planned,” Bayraktar emphasized.

He added that the company considers its greatest reward to be the opportunity to support the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people and assist Ukraine’s defenders on the battlefield.

As Ukrinform reported, Turkish company Baykar began construction of a Bayraktar drone manufacturing plant in Ukraine in the summer of 2023.