THE MAIN DRIVER of the success has been Baykar Defence, a well-connected Turkish defence company that specialises in T drones.
Baykar started out in 1984 making automotive parts, switching to UAVs in the early 2000s in response to a Turkish government indigenisation programme after it was unable to acquire certain types of UAVs and UCAVS abroad.
Over the years it has produced a range of UAVs, but by far its most well-known and popular has been the Bayraktar TB2, which has seen extensive use by Ukraine during Russia's ongoing invasion, and before that in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In both cases, as well as in theatres like Libya, Nigeria, and Syria, TB2s have demonstrated an ability to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and strike targets with precision-guided munitions despite hostile conditions.
Export success has been swift, with over 400 TB2s exported to more than twenty-five countries since its first flight just eight years ago, making it one of the most prevalent types in service today. Of the twenty operators, eleven (Morocco, Ethiopia, Libya, Libya, Somalia, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Togo, Niger, Nigeria, and Mali) are in Africa.
While Baykar has received by far the most orders, the TB2 is not the only Turkish UAV seeing export success in Africa and elsewhere: Turkish Aerospace Industries has sold a number of Anka UAVs to Algeria, Chad, and Tunisia.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Iris - her early years: IRIS FLIES ACROSS SUDAN
Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McCallum's early years in East Africa and the Sudan. In part 1 of this story she recounts how she had to fly a bunch of Belgian Missionaries to Aweil, a city in northwestern South Sudan, from Wilson in Nairobi in her old mate 'ARN', the Piper Aztec 5Y-ARN.
UGLY IS PRETTY: LEAR 25 VS PILATUS PC-6
When you go to a party where you don't know anybody, you should always go for the 'Ugly' girl, because she will be happy that you chose to spend time with her.
CIRRUS G7 LAUNCHED IN AFRICA
What makes one aircraft better than another? Range, Speed, or carrying capacity, short field performance, operating costs, high wing, low wing, side stick, traditional control yoke?
PRESIDENT'S TROPHY AIR RACE 2024
The annual Presidents Trophy Air Race (PTAR) is the highlight of the year for many competitive general aviation pilots.
THE ABSA LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2024
This year marked the thirtieth edition of the Lowveld airshow – and it was widely acclaimed as the best ever.
PREVIEW: AFRICAN AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE EXPO(AAD)
Guy Leitch finds out from AAD Exhibition Director, Ms Nakedi Phasha, how the buildup to this year's biennial expo is going, and what visitors and exhibitors can expect.
APRIL 2023
April has been a very quiet month on the local aviation marketplace with only nine new registration allocations and three deletions, according to the officially-supplied register review.
PIPISTREL PANTHERA FINALLY HERE
One of the world's most eagerly awaited piston single engine aircraft designs has finally arrived in South Africa. ZU-KTR is a long awaited Panthera, proudly owned by Bertus Kritzinger, a Free State trucker, and based at New Tempe in Bloemfontein, where the well-known Ferriera Aviation has assembled it.
STAGGERWING - ALREADY OLD WHEN NEW
The Staggerwing was the climax, and the end, of an era.
The Aim of Bombing
In modern warfare it's not the soldiers who die - it's the civilians. One of the best examples of this is carpet bombing.
