Under a new governmental clause, Canada’s Bombardier (BRP) is forced to suspend exports of UAV engines to Turkey, supplied 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.
Bayraktar TB2s attack drones are deployed by Azeri Air Force in its ongoing conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. The UCAVs contain Canadian components; on 5 October, the Canadian government announced it was freezing defense equipment exports to Turkey.
Turkey; Canada adds UAV engines to current embargo