Malaysia and Indonesia interested in buying Turkish-made UAVs

Türkiye said on Monday that Malaysia and Indonesia had expressed keen interest in buying armed drones from Turkish defence firm Baykar, which has supplied the weapons to several countries after battlefield successes. 'Many Asian countries, especially Malaysia and Indonesia, show great interest in our defence industry products. Agreements are being signed,' Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a press conference in Tokyo. 'We would most gladly meet Japan's need for drones,' the minister added, on a visit there to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. International demand for Turkish drones has soared after their impact on conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Libya. Türkiye will see many important milestones in defense production on the 100th anniversary of the republic. The Turkish defense industry, which aims to provide security forces with the most advanced equipment with indigenous resources with the coordination of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), will take critical steps in many projects in about a year. The famed Bayraktar TB2 is the 'most important' and 'most successful' unmanned aerial vehicle in Türkiye's growing fleet of drones, with its capabilities proven in Azerbaijan's liberation of Karabakh in 2020, Ankara's operations against the PKK terrorist group, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Turkish manufacturer Baykar is working on new variants Akıncı and Kızılelma, while Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) is building drones such as Anka and Aksungur, the report added. Being hailed for their 'impressive' export success, Turkish drones have been purchased by numerous countries -- including Ukraine, Poland, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Pakistan, Nigeria and some Central Asian states -- so far.