The Turkish manufacturer behind the now-famous Bayraktar drones has a three-year waitlist. These unmanned aerial aircraft have become well known to the general public after being supplied to Ukraine for use in its defense against the Russian invasion.

In an interview with Ukraine's Come Back Alive foundation, Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Turkish defense company Baykar, stated that the company currently has the manufacturing capacity to produce twenty of its Bayraktar TB2 drones per month but wants to increase that with a new facility in Ukraine, which it agreed to build last year.

“We see Ukraine as our strategic partner,“ Bayraktar explained, adding that the company had already embarked on building the Ukrainian factory.

“We as Baykar embarked on building a factory in Ukraine, a research center and manufacturing excellence center where we wanted to build all the systems,“ he said.

The Come Back Alive foundation was informed by Bayraktar that the company was “booked for about three years now.“ due to an increase in demand for its UAVs.

“As these systems prove themselves on the field, more countries are interested in them,“ he said.

As a result of its employment early in the conflict to destroy a significant number of Russian vehicles, Baykar's drones, particularly its renowned Bayraktar TB2 drones, have become legendary in Ukraine. Even a popular folk song was influenced by its popularity.

In the early stages of Ukraine's defense against Russia, Bayraktar TB2s played a significant role and were credited with defeating Russian tanks and armored vehicles.

Baykar informed the foundation that he desires the Bayraktar Kizilelma and Aknc drone types to also be produced in the Ukraine plant.

After declining $20 million in crowdfunded funding, the business donated three Bayraktar TB2 drones to Ukraine in June. In a statement posted on Twitter, the company requested that the money be transferred to the "struggling people of Ukraine."

Despite playing a significant role in Ukraine's initial military reaction to Russia, experts told Insider that Turkish drones were losing effectiveness as Russian forces stepped up their electronic and air defenses.

According to Ukrainian contracts, the drone control unit also costs about $5 million.

This price is based on the fact that Lithuanians started a fundraising campaign in 2022 to help the Ukrainian military purchase the Bayraktar TB-2 drone. In just three days, $5 million was raised.

According to Middle East Eye, the Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov revealed on Tuesday that Ukraine has received 50 armed drones from Turkish arms company Baykar since Russia's 24 February invasion.

Uni Reznikov praised Ukrainians and Baykar in a Facebook post for donating three Bayraktar TB2 armed drones after a social media fundraising effort raised $20 million to purchase the drones, which Bayrak refused to accept.

According to advertising material from Baykar Technologies, the company that makes them, each drone can carry four laser-guided missiles.

The drones have a 39-foot (12-meter) wingspan, are compact and lightweight (about seven times lighter than the Reaper drone used by the US military), and can stay in the air for up to 30 hours at a time.