Özdemir Bayraktar, an entrepreneur, graduate engineer and industrialist who died on October 18, 2021, dedicated his life to the national UCAVs, both on the ground and at his workbench, and spent the last 20 years of his life working for Turkey's full independence .
When Özdemir Bayraktar passed away, he left behind crucial milestones for the National Technology Move.
“Our work will continue uninterrupted with all our might until our country achieves the goal of complete independence and global leadership in UAV technologies.” Özdemir Bayraktar, the owner of the word, explained that in its geography a strong army and a strong Turkey are needed would, and dedicated his 72 years of life to the ideal of a “strong Türkiye”.
Baykar, whose founder and honorary president is Özdemir Bayraktar, continues its technology production for “Strong Türkiye” without delay at the Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center, which bears the name of its founder.
The Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center, which bears his name, continues to strengthen Turkey's defense.
Özdemir Bayraktar led many original machine design and manufacturing processes as well as part processing equipment design processes for the precision machining sector at Baykar, which he founded with a single drilling machine. Bayraktar, which played a leading role in Baykar's national and unique unmanned aircraft technology development initiative, took an active and leading role in the implementation of these projects at every stage, from the design phase to the prototype phase, from the manufacturing phase to investment planning. Over time, Baykar has become one of the world's leading manufacturers of unmanned aircraft systems.
After the death of Bayraktar, the pioneer of the National Technology Move ideal, a number of projects were implemented and various donations were made by various institutions and organizations, particularly Baykar and the T3 Foundation, to keep his memory alive and continue the efforts he led throughout his life with lasting works and events.
The main facility that keeps the Özdemir Bayraktar name alive is the Baykar Technology Center, where national unmanned aerial vehicles are developed and manufactured. The production site founded by Bayraktar, which over time has developed into a “UAV/SIHA Competence Center”, continues its activities under the name Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center.
Built on a 200,000 square meter site, the facility has a 58,000 square meter research and development center with production, mechanical and electronic integration phases. 13 different engineering disciplines work together here. Production and integration activities are carried out in a 100,000 square meter closed area in the Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center.
Baykar's UAV and TİHA export success, the foundation of which was laid, brought tax mastery
Baykar's UCAV and TIHA export success, the foundation of which was laid by Özdemir Bayraktar, brought tax championships to Selçuk and Haluk Bayraktar. Selçuk Bayraktar, Chairman of Baykar, one of the world's leading technology companies, and Haluk Bayraktar, General Manager, became Turkey's largest taxpayers in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
While Selçuk Bayraktar paid 153 million lira and Haluk Bayraktar 143 million lira in taxes on his company's income in 2021, in 2022 these figures increased to 564 million lira and 319 million lira, respectively.
In 2023, Selçuk Bayraktar broke the record by paying 1 billion 952 million 680,000 lira of income tax, and Haluk Bayraktar paid 1 billion 683 million 198,000 lira of income tax. While the total tax paid by the Bayraktar brothers exceeded 3 billion 635 million lira, in the period 2021-2023 this tax amount increased more than 12 times.
90 percent of Baykar's revenue in 2023 came from export revenue. Baykar, which exported $1.2 billion in 2022, increased that value by 50 percent to $1.8 billion last year. This means that we have managed to be one of the top 10 export companies in all sectors.
Özdemir Bayraktar Science Centers connect young people with science and technology
In memory of Özdemir Bayraktar, projects of the TÜBİTAK MAM Campus in Kocaeli Gebze and the Özdemir Bayraktar Mosque projects of the 3rd Army Command in Erzincan were implemented with donations from Baykar and Bayraktar Technology.
With the contributions of Istanbul Technical University, İTÜ 1773 Teknopark and Baykar, İTÜ Özdemir Bayraktar Design and Prototyping Center and Kabataş Boys' High School Özdemir Bayraktar UAV Workshop were founded by Baykar.
Science centers, which are meeting places for children and young people with science and technology, also played an important role in the projects implemented on behalf of Özdemir Bayraktar. Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center in Trabzon has become an important meeting place for technology with the facilities and equipment created.
The center was established in collaboration with Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Black Sea Development Agency, TÜBİTAK and T3 Foundation to make science and technology understandable and accessible to society by involving people from different ages and backgrounds of science will increase the importance of science and technology in the eyes of society. Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center has 6 different workshops, a planetarium (planet house) and an exhibition area.
Teaching materials and equipment were also donated to Canik Özdemir Bayraktar Discovery Campus and Özdemir Bayraktar Başakşehir Science Center.
The Özdemir Bayraktar Discovery Campus, which was created with contributions from the Governor of Samsun, Canik Municipality, T3 Foundation, University of Samsun, Ondokuz Mayıs University and the Samsun Provincial Directorate of National Education, was established as a “Children's University” project implemented to bring science and technology together with children.
Özdemir Bayraktar Science Culture Life Park opened in Başakşehir, Istanbul. There is a science center and a Deneyap workshop in the park.
More than 13,000 students received scholarships under the Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Scholarship Program.
Baykar has implemented the Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Scholarship Program through the T3 Foundation from 2022. Under the scholarship program, scholarship support will be provided to secondary, senior, bachelor's, master's and doctoral students who have the vision of the National Technology Move and are willing to contribute to the development of Turkey's domestic and national technology. The scholarship program has supported more than 13,000 students since the foundation was founded. The number of students who received scholarships in 2024 reached 5,000.
On the other hand, a travel program “Let a Child Come and Touch a Plane” will be organized as part of the aviation, space and technology festival TEKNOFEST in memory of Özdemir Bayraktar. This year, 50,000 students from 13 cities had the opportunity to attend TEKNOFEST with the program organized within TEKNOFEST Adana.
Last year, 150,000 students were transported to TEKNOFEST events in Samsun, Ankara and Izmir with Özdemir Bayraktar's “One Child Come and Touch a Plane” travel program, where disadvantaged children and their families were accommodated at TEKNOFEST free of charge, including transportation costs.
Ankara Elmadağ Özdemir Bayraktar Aviation and Space Technologies Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School carries out activities to introduce children to space and educational technologies during secondary education.
Teknopark Esenler Özdemir Bayraktar Campus is established by Esenler Municipality, Informatics Valley, Ibn Haldun University, ITU, Istanbul University, Yıldız Technical University, Enter Tech Istanbul Teknopark and YTU Yıldız Teknopark.
The Özdemir Bayraktar Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics was established in a building converted from a tobacco hangar by the University of Samsun. The Sultangazi Özdemir Bayraktar Youth and Cultural Center was founded by the Sultangazi Municipality. Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality, TÜBİTAK and T3 Foundation established Gaziosmanpaşa Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center.
Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar AKINCI have created original designs that give TİHA its character.
Özdemir Bayraktar was born in 1949 in the Garipçe village of Sarıyer. After graduating from Kabataş Boys' High School, he graduated from Istanbul Technical University in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 1972. He completed his master's degree in internal combustion engines.
Özdemir Bayraktar worked as a technical manager in the establishment and reinvestment of many factories that played a leading role in the Turkish industrial sector (Burdur Traktör, İstanbul Segman, Uzel and similar). He married Canan Bayraktar, who graduated from Istanbul University's Faculty of Economics and worked as a computer programmer at the Turkish Industrial Development Bank. The couple Özdemir and Canan Bayraktar had three children from this marriage named Haluk, Selçuk and Ahmet.
Bayraktar participated in the founding of Baykar Makina in 1984 to contribute to localization efforts for the automotive industry. Bayraktar, which played a leading role in Baykar's national and unique unmanned aircraft technology development initiative, took an active and leading role in the implementation of these projects at every stage, from the design phase to the prototype phase, from the manufacturing phase to investment planning.
He led the studies carried out together with the soldiers in the Southeast Anatolia region between 2005 and 2009, when research and development studies were carried out on the Bayraktar Mini UAV, the first unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Baykar for the Turkish Armed Forces.
Özdemir Bayraktar, who draws the designs of all Baykar nationally and uniquely developed products, is also the owner of the original designs that give character to Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA.
Özdemir Bayraktar was awarded the Order of Karabakh by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in 2021 for the contribution of Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs, nationally and uniquely developed by Baykar, to the liberation of Karabakh from Armenian occupation.
“If we can spread our wings freely in the sky today, it is thanks to Bayraktar and the patriotic people who share the same spirit.”
A special video marking the anniversary of Bayraktar's death was shared on the official social account of Baykar, which developed Türkiye's first national UCAVs.
The video said: “If we can spread our wings freely in Gök Vatan today, it is thanks to the attitude of the late Özdemir Bayraktar and the patriotic people who share the same spirit with him.”
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