Ukraine and Turkey establish joint arms production company
Ukraine and Turkey have established a joint corporation for producing precision weaponry and aerospace technologies, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine reports.
In particular, a contract has been signed between Ukraine’s UkrSpetsExport and Turkey’s Baykar Defence.
The primary purpose of the joint enterprise is to unify the capabilities of the two countries’ defense industries in order to serially produce new, modern weapons for their armies.
“One of the first projects of the joint enterprise will be to develop a new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This drone will be able to perform detailed reconnaissance from high flight levels, remain in the air for hours, attain a significant cruising speed, and attack using a broad range of precision weapons,” the report states.
The NSDC notes that the new drone’s capabilities will be made possible by extensive use of composite materials, digital technologies, and Ukrainian-produced engines that can operate under extreme conditions.
The new engines will also enable the UAV to carry “a large number of weapons, even compared to normal assault airplanes”.
The NSDC believes that the creation of the joint enterprise will help to improve both Ukraine’s and Turkey’s defensive capabilities.
Recently it was reported that Ukraine had signed a contract to purchase weapons from Turkey, including Bayraktar TB2 tactical UAVs.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a modification of the Bayraktar Block B, and refers to a class of tactical medium altitude long-endurance drones. The UAV is 6.5m long and has a wingspan of 12m, a range of 150 km, and a maximum flight mass of 650 kg.