Selçuk Bayraktar is the architect of Türkiye’s first indigenous UCAV systems, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV—the world’s first UAV to take off and land on a short-runway vessel—and the Bayraktar KIZILELMA, Türkiye’s first unmanned fighter jet. In addition to serving as Baykar’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer, he holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the T3 Foundation, the KÜME Foundation, and the CANSAĞLIĞI Foundation.

He completed his primary education at Sarıyer Primary School and graduated from Robert College in 1997. Between 1997 and 2002, he pursued his bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU). During his undergraduate studies, he was accepted for an internship at the GRASP Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). Through a scholarship offer received during his internship, he pursued his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at UPenn from 2002 to 2004. During his research, he conducted studies that led to scientific publications on the world’s first UAV formation flight experiments, air-ground robot team coordination, and flight control and guidance systems.

Following the completion of his master’s degree, he was offered a fully funded master’s-doctoral position at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in recognition of his outstanding achievements. During his studies at MIT, he focused on automatic flight control algorithms designed to enable aggressive maneuvering capabilities for unmanned helicopter systems. In 2006, he earned his second master’s degree from MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. After MIT, he suspended his doctoral studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and returned to Türkiye in 2007 to lead the indigenous UAV technology development program that had been initiated at Baykar in 2003.

At Baykar, he works on the avionics system architecture, flight control and navigation algorithm development, system kinematics and dynamics, electronic hardware, and embedded software development of the company’s indigenously developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems.

Among the programs he has led are Türkiye’s first indigenous UAV, the Bayraktar Mini UAV, and the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV—which entered the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) inventory in 2014, has been exported to 36 countries as of March 2026, and has surpassed 1,250,000 successful flight hours, earning recognition as the world’s best in its class. Selçuk Bayraktar and his team also developed the Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV—Türkiye’s first strike UAV with a takeoff weight of 6 tons—which was delivered to the TAF in 2021. Having surpassed 150,000 successful flight hours, the Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV has been exported to 16 countries as of March 2026.

He currently leads the development of the Bayraktar TB3—the world’s first UCAV to successfully take off and land on a short-runway vessel (November 19, 2024 | TCG Anadolu)—and the Bayraktar KIZILELMA Unmanned Fighter Aircraft, Türkiye’s first unmanned fighter jet program. KIZILELMA completed its maiden flight on December 14, 2022, ahead of its publicly announced date in 2023. Under Selçuk Bayraktar’s leadership, the development program achieved a series of historic firsts in global aviation. Two combat-class unmanned aerial vehicles—the Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV and the Bayraktar KIZILELMA Unmanned Fighter Aircraft—successfully conducted the world’s first-ever close-formation flights as well as the first-ever beyond-visual-range air-to-air engagement.

He also leads space programs through his technology venture, Fergani. At Fergani Space Technologies, he directs projects for the development of LEO satellite constellations, orbital transfer vehicles, and launch systems.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the world in December 2019, he led Türkiye’s efforts and directed the development of an indigenous intensive care ventilator. As a result of these efforts, the ventilator produced by BIOSYS, Baykar, ASELSAN, and ARÇELİK was exported and donated by Türkiye to numerous countries around the world. He continues his work in the healthcare field through the CANSAĞLIĞI Foundation (Canan Bayraktar Public Health Foundation), of which he is the founder. As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, he supports research projects by scientists working in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, genetics, immunology, oncology, and rare diseases, with the goal of strengthening individual and public health.

In recognition of the contribution of Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs to the liberation of Karabakh from Armenian occupation, he was awarded the Karabakh Medal of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Karabakh Medal was presented to Bayraktar by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan at a ceremony held in Baku on April 1, 2021. In the decree he issued, Aliyev stated that the medal was conferred “for his contributions to strengthening fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in line with the principle of one nation, two states, to developing cooperation, and to ensuring Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

In 2022, Bayraktar was honored with the Order of Merit of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The decoration was presented on October 2, 2022, by Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during his visit to Türkiye.

On April 4, 2023, Bayraktar was decorated with the Military Cooperation Medal by Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov. On October 2, 2023, by presidential decree of Azerbaijan, he was awarded the ASAN Service Medal—conferred by the Azerbaijan Agency for Service and Social Innovation to Citizens (ASAN Service) upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the country.

On October 18, 2023, in recognition of his contributions and services to the African nation of Mali, he was decorated with the National Order of Mali—the country’s highest honor—by President Assimi Goïta.

On February 28, 2024, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine awarded him the 1st Class Medal of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine for his significant contributions to Ukraine’s national security and defense and to the enhancement of its defense capabilities under martial law.

On October 9, 2024, he was honored with the Dank State Order of Kyrgyzstan by President Sadyr Japarov for his contributions to the country’s defense capacity and military potential.

At the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation), which he founded, Selçuk Bayraktar works to enable talented young people and individuals of all age groups to participate in the technology development process.

Within the T3 Foundation, he leads ventures, R&D efforts, and projects aimed at indigenously developing products, systems, and components of high strategic importance in line with global competitive requirements. As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Bayraktar leads the foundation’s scientific programs to realize Türkiye’s National Technology Initiative. To instill a nationwide passion for aviation and space—which he considers critical to the National Technology Initiative—he and his team, together with stakeholder institutions, organize TEKNOFEST, Türkiye’s first and only aerospace and technology festival. Extending its reach beyond borders, TEKNOFEST was held in Azerbaijan in 2022 and in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 2025.

In addition to these responsibilities, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the KÜME Foundation (Culture and Heritage Foundation), which he established to address contemporary social challenges by drawing on enduring civilizational values through a holistic examination of human civilization’s journey.

Married to Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar since 2016, he is the father of two children and holds a private pilot’s license.

Patents

• Autonomous Takeoff and Landing System for Aerial Vehicles (Turkish Patent Institution 2015/07928)
   
• Electromechanical Servo Motor-Controlled Actuator System and Control Method for Detecting Dynamic Working Conditions (Turkish Patent Institution 2015/14111)
   
• Triply-Redunant Flight Control System (Turkish Patent Institution Ref: PT2015-00693) EKG Device (Turkish Patent Institution Ref: PT2015-00693)
   
• ECG Device (Turkish Patent Institute Ref: PT2015-00693)