Nikkei Asia had quoted Oryx blogspot about the Indonesian armed Forces interested on the Bayraktar UCAV, and possibility to acquire TB3 along with those Landing Helicopters platform. Surprisingly Japan taken interest on the Bayraktar UCAV platform too
Drone companies see potential customers in Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia
asia.nikkei.com
ISTANBUL -- A new baby lemur that was born at Kyiv Zoo in Ukraine's capital has been named "Bayraktar," Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion, announced in a Telegram post on Friday.
The stripy-tailed lemur got its name from the Turkey-made drone that is under the global spotlight once again for its battlefield success. Like in Azerbaijan, Syria and Libya, videos of the armed Bayraktar TB-2 taking out Russian tanks, armored vehicles and surface-to-air missile defense systems have been widely shared on social media.
Bayraktar is the name of the family behind Baykar Defense, the manufacturer. Chief Technology Officer Selcuk Bayraktar is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son-in-law.
While the Turkish drones might not ultimately fend off a prolonged Russian assault, the fact that they have inflicted pain on invading convoys has surprised military analysts. Although the TB-2 wiped out Armenian tanks in Azerbaijan in 2020, experts had doubts whether the drone could also succeed against a modern military like Russia's.
This is expected to be a boon for the company's sales down the road. Since the drone was first exported to Qatar in 2018, the TB-2 has secured 19 export deals, including Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Six new deals have been added in the past three months alone.
Now the Turkish drone industry has set its eyes on Asia.
"China will not be willing to sell drones to many Asian countries in its neighborhood, and we are providing those countries a better option." Haluk Bayraktar, the older brother of Selcuk and the CEO of Baykar Defense, told Nikkei Asia. "They are showing much interest."
Baykar is currently working on a next-generation TB-3 drone that can take off and land from aircraft carriers and landing helicopter dock-class vessels. It plans to unveil the first TB-3 within this year, before the TCG Anadolu, Turkey's first LHD-class vessel, is commissioned by the end of the year.
An artist's rendering of the next-gen Bayraktar TB-3 operating on the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault vessel, which is also in the works. (Photo courtesy of Baykar Defense)
On Saturday, Ismail Demir, Turkey's top official overseeing the defense industry, told local media that the TCG Anadolu will be designed to hold 50 to 110 drones, depending on the configuration.
Bayraktar sees a potential drone customer in Asia.
"The upcoming TB-3 will be a great fit for Japan's Izumo-class platforms" the CEO said, referring to Japan's multipurpose destroyer, which analysts call a de facto aircraft carrier. The drone's folded wings will enable a carrier to hold more of them than fixed-wing aircraft.
"Japan should obtain armed drones as soon as possible," he said.
Baykar is not the only Turkish drone-maker. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), another major defense company, in November reached a basic agreement with Kazakhstan for its ANKA (phoenix) drones.
At the end of March, TAI will attend the 17th Defense Services Asia Exhibition and Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it will compete with countries like China and the U.S. to win tenders for drones.
Sensing an opportunity, TAI opened an office last November in Selangor, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
It is part of a push into Asian markets. Last month, the company opened a large booth at the Singapore Airshow, exhibiting its drone tech and other key products.
Japan's Izumo multipurpose destroyer. Baykar intends to pitch the TB-3 drone as an efficient weapon for the de facto carrier. (Photo courtesy of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force)
The Aksungur (gyrfalcon), TAI's next-generation armed drone, which joined the Turkish military's inventory last year, can fly 50 hours and features sonobuoy options, rare for a drone. Equipped with advanced detectors and sensors, it can perform anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrolling missions, a good fit for Indo-Pacific countries.
Ozgur Guleryuz, CEO of STM, another Turkish defense contractor, told Nikkei Asia his company also will be attending the defense exhibition in Malaysia with a range of products including the Kargu rotary-wing attack drone.
"We see interest toward our loitering munitions including Kargu from Asia and are currently in contact with various Asian countries," Guleryuz told Nikkei Asia.
In July, STM announced its first Kargu exports, to an unspecified country. It has been used by the Turkish army since 2018.
Kargu drones, made by defense contractor STM, are used by the Turkish Armed Forces. (Photo courtesy of STM)
Meanwhile, Oryx, a blog that covers the international defense sector, has reported that both Malaysia and Indonesia are interested in Turkish drones. One of its authors, Stijn Mitzer, in January wrote Indonesia is believed to be considering landing-platform-helicopter (LPH) vessels for the upcoming decade and that the Baykar TB-3, with its foldable wings, can "provide Indonesia with its first (unmanned) aircraft carrier."
Mitzer said that the combination of the low-cost LPHs and drones "could open up entirely new possibilities for the Indonesian Navy."
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If Indonesia were to buy Baykar's Akinci (raider) or TAI's Aksungur drones, it would provide the Southeast Asian nation "a long-range strike asset," he said.
Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, Indonesia's ambassador to Ankara, in November told a Turkish defense industry website, "We are talking about the possibility of acquiring drones from Turkey. We hope cooperation not to be limited to supply only, but also secure technology transfer and inclusion for future drone programs."
Combat-tested Turkish
drones, with a no-political-strings-attached export policy, is helping Turkey to advance its drone sales, according to Arda Mevlutoglu, an independent defense industry analyst. Also popular with clients is Turkey's openness to share some technology via joint production options, he noted.
All eyes, meanwhile, are on Ukraine.
Can Kasapoglu, director of the security and defense studies program at leading Turkish think tank Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), said video footage suggests Ukraine is using the drones mainly to hit Russian supply lines to disrupt their operation.
Kasapoglu noted that with Ukraine's current inventory of drones, reportedly around 20 units, they alone cannot stop large armored divisions or brigades.
Capable of generating 1,500-horsepower via two 750-hp engines, the Akinci B is the most powerful and combat-capable armed UAV in its class, Baykar CTO Selcuk Bayraktar says. (Anadolu Agency)
"Had Ukraine operated large numbers of Akinci, equipped with heavier munitions, it could have played out differently," Kasapoglu said, referring to Baykar's next-generation upgraded drones. With a wingspan of 20 meters, the Akinci can fly as high as 40,000 feet and carry a total payload of 1.5 tons -- including weapons, cameras, sensors -- which is 10 times more capacity than the TB-2.
Bayraktar told Nikkei that the Akinci is taking Baykar's capabilities to the class of American MQ-9 Reaper drones. Even better than that, he claimed, noting that his new drones are equipped with superior artificial intelligence.
The TB-2 has a maximum airtime of 27 hours and can fly at 25,000 feet altitude, carrying laser-guided locally produced bombs. Baykar has said the company exported $664 million worth of armed and unarmed drones last year.
A Western competitor of Baykar told AFP that the TB-2 was comparable to the AK-47 rifle. "Turkey has reinvented the Kalashnikov of the 21st century," the competitor said, referring to the famous Soviet rifle that became a mainstay weapon of choice for many conflicts around the world.
A Baykar source told Nikkei Asia that the TB-2 has accumulated 430,000 flight hours. Especially after the Azerbaijan-Armenia war in 2020 -- when the Azerbaijani army used precision strikes on a daily basis during the 44-day war -- many Asian countries have shown interest in the drones, the source said.
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