Turkish Drone Maker to Fund Scholarships for Palestinian Students

Turkey’s largest drone company, Baykar, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) to support Palestinian students who want to pursue higher education in Turkey through the Turkey Scholarships program. Baykar’s technology chief, Selçuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, led the initiative and said, “May Allah bless all those who help our Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

Baykar was Turkey’s biggest defense exporter last year, with $2.2 billion in sales, mainly from its Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı drones. It ranked ahead of Aselsan, with about $2.01 billion, and Turkish Aerospace, with about $1.8 billion. In 2025, Baykar’s exports made up about 22% of Turkey’s total defense exports, and foreign sales accounted for roughly 88% of the company’s revenue.

The article also highlights a surge in India’s defense exports, which rose from about $110 million in 2014 to around $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2025 to 2026, according to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. New Delhi aims to increase exports by another 25% over the next two to three years, a development that benefits Israeli defense companies active in India.

Elbit Systems is producing the Drishti 100 Starliner drone with Adani, described as India’s first medium-altitude, long-endurance domestically made drone, in line with Narendra Modi’s Make in India policy. Israel Aerospace Industries also participates in producing the Barak air defense system with Indian partners, while India continues to buy major Israeli systems, including Rafael’s SPICE 1000 precision-guided kit. SPICE can navigate without GPS and reportedly achieves strikes within less than three meters.

The piece also notes Britain’s decision to expand military aid to Ukraine through the delivery of about 150,000 drones, more than 350 air-defense interceptors, and radar systems by the end of 2026. The roughly $995 million package, financed through a broader British acceleration fund of about $2.9 billion, is intended to help Kyiv withstand Russian missile and drone attacks, while also supporting British companies such as Thales UK.