Turkey and China, have emerged as prominent players in this drone export industry. While Turkish drones have demonstrated their superiority on the battlefield, whereas Chinese drones have yet to make a significant impact.
The biggest advantage of Chinese and Turkish drones is that. they are less expensive than US-made UAV, and have no political baggage.
However. in a recent interview. Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of a leading Turkish drone maker, accused China of placing hidden restrictions on the drones it shipped to other nations.
Bayraktar. CEO of Baykar Technology, described it as, completely unacceptable. revealing that he had learned from an official of a country that. Chinese UAVs turned around as they approached the Chinese border.
Bayraktar’s remarks on Chinese drones are not new. He previously said that China would be unwilling to sell drones to many Asian nations in its neighborhood. and that Baykar is willing to offer those nations a better alternative.
Turkish drones have won many contracts worldwide. while Chinese drones are primarily shipped to the middle east. The Turkish drone manufacturer wants to outcompete Chinese companies, which are already lagging behind the Turkish firm.
Bayraktar also emphasized the significance of armed drones in future conflicts. notably in a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
He continued to criticize the subpar performance of Chinese drones, and claimed that nations who had previously purchased Chinese drones, were now turning to armed drones produced by Baykar Technology.
He said that. Baykar drones are presently the most sought-after UAVs in the market, and that the business has already surpassed China’s total drone exports.
Chinese UCAV. specifically the Wing Loong and CASC Rainbow, have seen combat use. but not at the same scale of public attention as the TB2, that has seen with use in Nagorno-Karabakh. the Ukraine war, and Libya.
Compared Turkish drones. Chinese drones are regularly criticized for having high crash rates, and reliability problems.
For instance. Chinese Wing Loong UAVs provided by the UAE to Haftar’s forces, during the Libyan civil war were gunned dead by Libyan National Army, forces loyal to General Khalifa Belqasim Hafta.
However, how well Chinese military drones work in a fiercely contested battlespace packed with fighter aircraft and air defense systems, is yet to be seen.
while Turkey's Bayraktar drones, in particular the Tb2, have proven their capabilities on the real battlefield,
