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Turkish defense industry drone production capacity has reached hundreds of thousands of units annually through new investments, with homegrown manufacturer Skydagger achieving 120,000 annual production capacity using entirely indigenous and proprietary components.
FPV kamikaze drones, which have become central to modern warfare doctrine and critical to overcoming air defense systems, represent an important agenda item for the Turkish defense industry.
Skydagger, a drone manufacturer supported by Baykar, began FPV kamikaze drone production in 2024. The company manufactures drones using FPV technology, where operators fly as if sitting inside the drone via glasses or screens.
Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar announced on Sunday that Skydagger production lines reached the annual capacity of 120,000 drones.
Bayraktar stated that all components are indigenous, national, and proprietary: "From electric motors to flight control computers, from FPV airframes to batteries, from video communication systems to warheads, every component is domestic, national and original."
Skydagger produces several kamikaze FPV drone sizes: 7, 10 and 15 inches. The company recently added the Skydagger 15 Plus and Skydagger Mini to expand its product family with the largest and smallest FPV options.
The Skydagger 15 Plus carries 10 kilograms of munitions. Skydagger Mini was developed primarily for urban operations and functions with 500 grams of anti-personnel munitions.
To overcome potential production constraints and achieve the high unit volumes required for serial drone production, Skydagger prioritized the localization of sub-components.
The company manufactures or sources from domestic suppliers munitions, batteries, fiber-optic systems, smart trigger boxes that make munitions intelligent, detonator cards, and artificial intelligence systems.
Skydagger increased the domesticity ratio above 80% in its products and aims to achieve 100% domesticity this year.
Baykar's vertical integration model, producing all components in-house or through the domestic ecosystem, eliminates supply chain interruptions in potential conflict scenarios, guaranteeing Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) operational continuity.
FPV drones have become critical elements of modern combat concepts, particularly following the Ukraine-Russia war, revolutionizing the "expendable munitions" category.
The annual 120,000-unit capacity announcement represents significant military capability. In modern warfare, where million-dollar platforms can be neutralized by drones costing several thousand dollars, a monthly 10,000-unit production capacity provides Türkiye an enormous economies-of-scale advantage.
Skydagger General Manager Mehmet Oztekin stated in previous interviews that the company underwent significant localization in FPV technology.
"In the FPV field, we now produce our motor, battery, and software ourselves. This reduces costs and decreases external dependency," he said.
He also highlighted the company's export success: "We achieved serious production and export capacity in a short time; as Skydagger alone, we sent 30,000 drones to 14 countries within 1.5 years."
Regarding future projections, Oztekin shared his views on Türkiye's potential as a regional FPV drone center, saying, "Looking at the trajectory, I believe Türkiye will become a center in FPV by next year or at the latest within two years, by 2027."
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