"Countries are already producing the latest piloted aircraft. Twenty years, ten years from now, the most significant doctrinal change in the war will be made by drones. Today's specialists will form it. We also predict that the era of F-35 and F-16 fighters will end," Chief Technology Officer of Turkish high technology company Baykar Selcuk Bayraktar said in an interview with CNN Turk.
"We believe that unmanned combat aerial vehicles will bring an end to even the fifth generation of aircraft. The most powerful air force of the future will be drones," he stressed.
According to the head of Baykar, this issue was discussed after the Karabakh war: "If you continue to run while you are ahead in the race, it will be difficult for other countries to catch up with you. This development will continue until there are external or internal influences.
"We are currently observing a great interest in this technology. For years, more than 70% of Bayraktar's revenues have even come from exports, which is a record for the defense industry."
"My brother Haluk Bayraktar was granted an honorary diploma in Ukraine and also received a new medal. My father, me, and my brother were awarded orders after the Karabakh war. It is a great honor for us to be a mediator in the success of such a war," Bayraktar added.
He noted that many countries now want to buy drones from Turkey. Agreements have already been signed with more than 10 countries and 5 countries have imported drones.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Selcuk Bayraktar on April 1. The head of state said Selcuk Bayraktar was awarded the Karabakh Order for his contribution to strengthening fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, developing cooperation, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and presented the order to Bayraktar.
Expressing gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for this high award, Selcuk Bayraktar said: "It is a great pride and honor for me."