Newsletters
Saudi Air Force operators graduated from Baykar's 21st Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) training program, marking progress in a $3 billion defense contract that represents one of the Turkish defense industry's largest export deals.
Commander of the Turkish Air Force General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu and Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force Lieutenant General Turki Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attended the graduation ceremony, Baykar announced on the social media platform X on late Monday.
Baykar stated in its announcement, "We extend our congratulations to the trainees who successfully graduated at a ceremony honored by the presence of our CEO Haluk Bayraktar, Commander of the Turkish Air Force General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu, and Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force H.R.H. Lt. Gen. Turki Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud, together with his accompanying delegation."
Two Akinci UCAVs displayed at the ceremony carried UAV-230 air-to-surface ballistic supersonic missiles, TOLUN small-diameter bombs, and MAM smart munitions, indicating the weapons systems Saudi Arabia will employ with the aircraft.
Baykar Chief Technology Officer Selcuk Bayraktar told Breaking Defense in August that production lines for the Akinci are being established in Saudi Arabia, with first deliveries scheduled for 2025.
Production facilities are under construction in Saudi Arabia, according to the agreement details. Intellectual property rights will be jointly shared by Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) announced back in 2023 that the strategic agreement with Baykar will "enhance SAMI's role in supporting the national defense industry and strengthening our local capabilities."
The UAV-230, developed by Roketsan from the TRG-230 230 mm artillery rocket, has been tested to a range of 155 kilometers from the Akinci platform.
The missile uses a GNSS/INS guidance package in baseline configuration, with a laser seeker in development.
TOLUN, a GNSS/INS-guided small-diameter bomb designed for multi-carriage and structure penetration, was tested at a range of more than 65 kilometers (40.3 miles) from Akinci on a sea target.
Additional variants include TOLUN-F with a fragmentation warhead and TOLUN-IIR with man-in-the-loop capabilities using an infrared seeker.
Saudi Arabia's agreement to purchase Turkish drones in July represented one of the most significant defense contracts in Türkiye's history.
The timing of the UAV-230 and TOLUN export announcements shortly after signing the AKINCI export contract supports the possibility of their inclusion in the Saudi arsenal, according to Turkish defense media outlet TurDef.
1 min read
3 min read
