Türkiye signs drone deal with Saudi Arabia

Ankara: Turkish drone maker Baykar signed a deal with Saudi Arabia to sell its combat drone “AKINCI TIHA,” to the kingdom, Baykar’s CEO said in a tweet Tuesday.
“We signed Bayraktar AKINCI TIHA export and cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia,” said Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar Technology.
According to Baykar, “AKINCI” is a high-altitude long-endurance combat unmanned aerial vehicle, equipped with dual artificial intelligence avionics and is capable of conducting operations that are performed with fighter jets in air-to-ground and air-to-air attack missions.
Saudi Arabia acquired the drones “with the aim of enhancing the readiness of the kingdom’s armed forces and bolstering its defense and manufacturing capabilities,” Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud tweeted Tuesday.
The deal was signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday, which is part of his three-day Gulf tour aimed at securing agreements for investment and finance.
The two countries signed on Monday several cooperation agreements on investment, defense, energy, and communications following the meeting between Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.
Since 2021, Ankara has stepped up efforts to normalize strained ties with Gulf states.
UNI/XINHUA