By Parth Satam,
EA Times: Senior Ukrainian official Serhiy Pashinsky claims on video that “there is more PR and corruption in Bayraktar #drones #UAVs than combat use. They were all shot down within a week”. Angry Turkey backs out of setting up a #TB2 factory in Ukraine.
The era of Turkiye’s TB-2 Bayraktar drones in Ukraine might finally end if reports from Russian media and social media comments from the Turkish company’s founder are to be believed.
Baykar has reportedly conveyed to the Ukrainian government its inability to set up a factory in partnership with a Ukrainian state-run defense firm.
Two primary reasons are believed to be behind the move.
One, the decreasing utility and increasing vulnerability of the drones to Russian air defense and electronic warfare reported by the mainstream Western press since June.
Secondly, a deal struck between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to make Turkey into a “gas hub,” helping the latter realize its dreams of a regional powerhouse, has played a significant part in declining active Turkish support.
Observers believe Erdogan readily obliged Putin’s demands to stop arming Ukraine in return, given the decent personal rapport between the two leaders.