Aboutexperts asked by Forbes note that Turkish drones are superior to Russian and Iranian counterparts, and that Ankara may soon become a leader in the UAV market in Central Asia, thereby increasing political influence in the region
Bayraktar TB2
Turkey, promoting “drone diplomacy”, may soon become a major player in the UAV market in Central Asia and strengthen its economic and political influence, writes Forbes.
According to the publication, Central Asian countries have been importing an unprecedented number of military drones since the early 2020s, including from Turkey, Russia and Iran. Ankara, in particular, exported its well-known Bayraktar TB2 drone to Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan and reached an agreement with Kazakhstan on the production of Anka-S drones.
Experts interviewed by Forbes believe that Turkey is likely to take a central place in the drone market in the region, “because for her it is more than just military cooperation.” With the help of “drone diplomacy”, the country expects to strengthen political and economic cooperation with the members of the Organization of Turkic States (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan). For example, Bayraktars tip the scales in favor of Kyrgyzstan in the border conflict with Tajikistan, the newspaper notes.
Nevertheless, drone diplomacy is not without risks, in particular, it can provoke retaliatory actions by China, Russia and Iran, Forbes points out. “Faced with strong objections from Kyrgyzstan, Turkey was unable to complete the sale of drones to Tajikistan, which then turned to Iran and signed a deal with Tehran,” said Professor at American University and senior researcher at the Orion Institute of Politics Suleiman Ozeren.
At the same time, Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analysis, noted that the sales of TB2 to Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan are a clear sign that these countries expect to take a share in the market of Turkish drones. “It is likely that the Central Asian countries will maintain an open policy and will purchase drones from different countries, as well as invest in domestic UAV developments, as in Kazakhstan today,” the expert pointed out.
The main export drones of Turkey are Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar AKINCI, manufactured by Baykar Makina. They are equipped with artificial intelligence, capable of launching cruise missiles and carrying up to 1350kg of cargo. The company previously reported that it sells UAVs for export to 13 countries, but did not specify the list. Defense News, citing sources, previously reported that the potential buyers of Bayraktar are the United Kingdom, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovakia and Uruguay.
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