Baykar, one of Turkey’s leading defense industry companies, has decided to establish its first production facility in Anatolia in Samsun. The decision was officially published in the Official Gazette and entered into force. The production facility will be located in the Tekkeköy district of Samsun and will be constructed on a 400-acre site. The area will be designated as a “special industrial zone.”
Baykar to establish a production base in Samsun
Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Halit Doğan announced the investment decision on social media. Doğan stated that Baykar has become a global leader in the defense and aerospace sector, and that the company’s first major investment in Anatolia in Samsun gives the city a special strategic importance. In his statement, he stated, “The second century of the Republic is becoming the century of our Samsun.”
The investment decision appears to be in addition to Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.’s Istanbul Special Industrial Zone. According to information published in the Official Gazette, the new area in Samsun has been added to the existing special industrial zone in Istanbul, along with a map.
The decision was made within the scope of the relevant articles of Industrial Zones Law No. 4737. Baykar’s special industrial zone, previously announced by a 2019 Presidential Decree, has now been expanded to include investments in Samsun.
Samsun has recently been making headlines for its major industrial and technological investments. In recent months, the Machinery and Chemical Industry (MKE) announced a 2 billion TL investment in Samsun for production. Meanwhile, rumors that Chery, a member of the automotive sector, will also invest in the city continue to circulate.
No detailed information has yet been released regarding the production capacity, number of personnel, or systems to be produced for Baykar’s new Samsun base. However, the fact that the facility will be established within the special industrial zone indicates that both R&D and high-tech production activities can be carried out there.
Baykar, which holds a critical place among the steps taken within Turkey’s national technology initiative in the defense industry, has previously attracted attention with unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı TİHA. This investment is considered a significant step in both increasing domestic production capacity and balancing the distribution of industry in Anatolia.
