Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar signed its first export agreement on Wednesday for the newly unveiled Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The agreement, signed with PT Republik Aero Dirgantara, an Indonesian aerospace firm, covers a 12-drone squadron to be delivered in 2028, with options for additional aircraft and local production facilities in Indonesia.
The deal was formalised at the SAHA 2026 defence exhibition, currently under way in İstanbul.
According to Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, the production phase of the Kızılelma - which has a combat radius of 500 nautical miles - was completed last year.
“Our goal this year is to put the Kizilelma into service for Türkiye,” Bayraktar said at the signing.
On the same day, Türkiye’s Defence Industries Secretariat (DIS) signed a procurement contract for the KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet, developed domestically by Turkish Aerospace Industries.
Formalised at the SAHA exhibition, the deal marks a significant step towards replacing the Turkish Air Force’s ageing F-16 fleet over the next five years.
“Our companies are aware of the responsibilities they have undertaken, and will deliver these products as quickly as possible,” DIS head Haluk Görgün told reporters.
Wednesday also saw the unveiling of a new electronic warfare system designed to operate alongside Türkiye’s “Steel Dome” air defence network.
Designed and manufactured by Turkish defence firm Aselsan, the Koral mobile radar platform can detect and jam enemy aircraft radars from hundreds of kilometres away.
Speaking at the exhibition, Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol said the advanced Koral platform was developed to address the rapidly evolving landscape of asymmetric aerial threats.
“Koral can operate at ranges of hundreds of kilometres, making it one of a very limited number of products capable of this,” Akyol said, noting that the system had entered the production phase.
Set to conclude on Friday, this year’s SAHA exhibition has brought together defence firms, procurement officials, military delegations and industry representatives from around the world.
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FormeFormer Cuban President Raúl Castro has been indicted in the United States, according to a senior Trump administration official. The move marks a significant escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Cuba’s communist leadership.
A major international conference on “The Role of Youth in Urban Development during Decolonisation Processes” has opened in Baku, bringing together young leaders and experts from around the world as part of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum.
Day four of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku brings a packed agenda on sustainable cities and the global housing crisis, with sessions on green housing, smart cities, public spaces and urban rights taking place on Wednesday (20 May) at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
The red carpet had barely been rolled up after Donald Trump’s departure before Beijing was laying it out again. Vladimir Putin arrived in the Chinese capital on Wednesday for talks with Xi Jinping, just days after Trump’s own high-profile visit.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
Azerbaijan and Georgia have agreed to resume daily passenger train services on the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku route from 26 May, 2026, marking a major step in restoring regional rail connectivity after services were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Day four of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku brings a packed agenda on sustainable cities and the global housing crisis, with sessions on green housing, smart cities, public spaces and urban rights taking place on Wednesday (20 May) at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
Pakistan has deployed around 8,000 troops, fighter jets and air defence systems to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence agreement, according to security officials and government sources familiar with the arrangement.
Russia is considering the possibility of joint projects with the United States and China, Kirill Dmitriev, Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, (Russia's sovereign wealth fund), was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday.
Passenger rail services between Baku and Tbilisi are expected to resume in 2026, after being suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and regional border restrictions.
Tajik scientists have warned that glaciers in the Pamir Mountains are melting at an alarming rate, including in high-altitude areas previously considered relatively stable, following the country’s first direct winter glacier measurements since independence.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has published an open letter questioning the EU’s democratic credibility, in what may be the clearest sign yet of Georgia’s deepening political and diplomatic rupture with Brussels.
Amid shifting global supply chains and rising geopolitical competition over trade corridors, attention is increasingly turning to the strategic role of transit states linking Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Europe and the Middle East.
Kyrgyzstan has suspended 50 locally registered companies over what authorities described as “high sanctions risk” operations, in the clearest sign yet that Bishkek is responding to growing European scrutiny over alleged sanctions circumvention linked to Russia.
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