Turkish defense industry company Baykar has started construction of a factory near Kiev that will employ about 500 employees and manufacture its TB2 or TB3 drone models, the company’s chief executive told Reuters.

Turkish-made Bayraktar drones have gained global attention after being used by the Ukrainian military in its operations against Russian invaders, destroying tanks and artillery systems.

Baykar said it has signed export agreements for its TB2 drone with 30 countries. These include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Libya and Azerbaijan as of 2018, according to think tank SIPRI.

“Our factory is being built… we need about 12 months to complete the construction and then we will continue by installing machinery, equipment and organizational structure,” Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said on the sidelines of the World Defense Expo in Riyadh.

“The factory in Ukraine is one of the big ones (of the company), we plan to employ about 500 people,” he said.

Bayraktar noted that annual production will total about 120 drones, but stressed that it is not yet clear whether production at the Ukrainian plant will focus on the TB2 or TB3 model.

Asked if security issues related to the ongoing war are a concern for the plant, Bayraktar noted that plans are “in full swing” and that “nothing” can stop them.

He added that the Istanbul-based company’s plans to start production in Saudi Arabia within the next two years are on track. The announcement follows an agreement in July to sell the Bayraktar Akinci model, another type of drone, to Saudi Arabia in what Baykar described as the largest defense contract in Turkey’s history.

Other defense industry companies participating in the exhibition in Riyadh also announced deals. Yesterday Monday, the American Lockheed Martin signed agreements with Saudi Arabian companies on the manufacture of components for missile defense systems.

Bayraktar said the company planned to double Akinci’s domestic production this year, which was 36 drones in 2023, while TB2 production would remain unchanged at 230 drones.

It also aims to produce the new models of Kızılelma and TB3 drones “by the dozens,” he added.