Turkey is the world leader in UAV and UCAV trade: 'The Turks have surpassed China'

China, which was at the peak of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market in 2014, fell behind Turkey in 2021. Turkey has reached a leading position with the delivery times and success of its armed UAVs.

Turkey has made significant progress in the production of UAVs and UCAVs in recent years, frequently making a name for itself globally. Operations conducted with UCAVs such as the Bayraktar TB2 and ANKA have been successful. Many countries have lined up to procure UAVs and UCAVs from Turkey.

According to a report by a US-based research organization, there has been a massive increase in military drone sales over the last 10 years. In 2022, 6 new countries purchased military drones, and all of them were armed Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey.

'TURKEY HAS SURPASSED CHINA'

China's drone sales peaked in 2014, and in 2021, Turkey surpassed China as the world's largest supplier. Positive press from battlefields in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine, along with Turkey's short timelines for delivery, have propelled Turkey to the top of the military drone market. While larger, more expensive, reusable military-grade drones dominated the early drone market, the sale of loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) has accelerated and will likely continue to grow.

65 PERCENT OF SALES FROM TURKEY

According to the report, the entry of China and Turkey into the military drone market has significantly increased the number of global UCAV transfers. Even after reinterpreting the MTCR Category I in July 2020, the United States has rarely exported its UCAVs. Since 2018, China, Turkey, and the United States have completed a total of 69 UCAV sales to 40 different countries. Turkey accounted for 65 percent of these sales, while China accounted for another 26 percent, and the United States provided only 8 percent.

THE EXAMPLE OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH WAR

While unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles are ubiquitous, the increase in the transfer of armed unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions has driven global proliferation in recent years. Despite the technology being introduced in the late 1980s, loitering munitions only gained significant international attention after Azerbaijan's successful use of these weapons in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.

News Source: 12punto