The defense industry is thriving not just in Israel, but also in other countries, including Turkey. One prominent Turkish defense company, Baykar, has decided to reward its employees with grants equivalent to 18 salaries. Baykar is well-known internationally for a couple of reasons. Firstly, its VP of Technology, Selcuk Beyrakter, is married to Soumya, the daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Beyrakter is also recognized as the highest taxpayer in Turkey, having paid about 564 million lira (approximately 34 million dollars) to the country in 2022. Additionally, Baykar is known for its Bayraktar TB2 drone which is widely used by the Ukrainian army.
The company generates 83% of its revenue from exports and ranked first in security exports within Turkey between 2021-2022. In 2022, amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Baykar’s revenues spiked by 94%. Looking ahead to 2023, the Presidency of Defense Industries has confirmed that Baykar still leads in exports with a total of 1.8 billion dollars, representing a third of all defense sector exports.
Reports in Turkey indicate that Baykar is the corporation that exports UAVs to the highest number of countries, with 33 countries purchasing the Beyrakter TB2 and nine countries purchasing the more advanced Beyrakter Akinci. These exports are subject to the Defense Export Control Division in the Ministry of Defense. As a gesture of appreciation for their employees’ hard work and dedication, Baykar announced that employees who have worked for more than six years or managers in the company for more than two years will receive the 18-salary grant.
Selchuk and his brother, Khaluk