Canadian export freeze on Turkey extends to UAV engines
Canada-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) is suspending exports to Turkey of engines produced by its Austrian subsidiary Rotax.
The engines are being used on Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs, but BRP insists that they are certified for commercial use only. However, EU dual-use export rules do not list this type of engine as requiring an approval permit – so Austrian legislation does not prohibit sales to Turkey for installation on UCAVs.
‘We have recently been made aware that some Rotax engines are currently used in military UAVs, and have started a thorough investigation immediately,’ Martin Langelier, BPR's senior vice president and the company's spokesperson, told state-owned Radio Canada International on 25 October.
‘In the meantime, we are suspending delivery of aircraft engines in countries with unclear usage.’
Bayraktar TB2s are being used extensively by Azerbaijan in its ongoing conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. The UCAVs contain Canadian components; on 5 October, the Canadian government announced it was freezing defence equipment exports to Turkey.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
Turning the Hiroshima Accord into Action: Enhancing UK-Japan Defence Collaboration (Studio)
The UK-Japan strategic partnership leverages joint defence initiatives, advanced technologies, and SME integration to enhance military capabilities, foster innovation, and ensure regional and global stability through collective action and effective project management.
-
NATO countries outline strategies to accelerate defence industrial production
During the Washington Summit, member states also agreed to improve manufacturing capacities across the alliance and continue investing in joint projects with Ukraine.
-
Why the US military needs an “innovation intervention”
Several issues in the Pentagon’s structure and the defence industrial base have been hampering the country's efforts to produce cutting-edge solutions.