Vertical integration doesn’t mean necessarily to invest heavily in R&D or cut off your other suppliers. Baykar is nowhere near the level of experience compared to Aselsan, Roketsan, TEI etc. They'll introduce step by step licensed IP or acquired tech, grand scheme of things is to take more control of your production supply chain from raw material, suppliers to distribution.Vertical integration works when you have the R&D labs that could further the science and the technology without being tied to your suppliers abilities. What is BAYKAR's know-how and know-why regarding the IR FPAs? It took decades ASELSAN to develop and serially produce cooled MCT detectors(along with other cooled and uncooled IR sensors). Will Baykar start poaching ASELSAN scientists for R&D or just do systems engineering with the supplied detectors?
Knowing that Selcuk Bayraktar is an Penn Uni and MIT alumni he might be inspired by US companies like SpaceX or Tesla and ambitious enough to first produce and later design & develop more and more outsourced or supplied systems inhouse. Otherwise, why would he do that if he can buy superior FLIRS and EO systems from Aselsan?
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