Haluk Bayraktar Net Worth

Haluk Bayraktar has an estimated net worth of $2.4 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Haluk Bayraktar profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $1.1 billion in 2024.

Haluk Bayraktar is a Turkish engineer and business executive who leads Baykar as CEO. He returned to Turkey after studying industrial engineering, then joined the family company in 2004 as an engineering manager. Over time, he worked across engineering, project management, logistics, and business development. He also co-founded the Turkey Technology Team Foundation and was a founding member and chairman of the board of SAHA Istanbul.

His wealth is tied to Baykar, the Turkish unmanned military drone maker where he owns 47.5% and co-owns the business with his brother Selçuk. The company started in 1984 making parts for the Turkish auto industry and moved into unmanned aerial vehicles in the 2000s. Baykar became widely known for the Bayraktar drone. Forbes values Haluk Bayraktar at $2.4 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How Haluk Bayraktar built his fortune

Bayraktar’s money comes from his large stake in Baykar and his leadership role at the company. Forbes says he owns 47.5% of the business, which he co-owns with his brother Selçuk, and he serves as CEO. After returning to Turkey, he joined Baykar when it was still mainly an automotive supplier. His work there included research, development, production, testing, training, logistics, and business development as the company expanded.

Baykar’s path changed over time. The business was founded by his father Özdemir in 1984 to make parts for the Turkish auto industry, then moved into unmanned aerial vehicles in the 2000s. Its best-known export is the Bayraktar drone, which gained broad attention during the war in Ukraine. That business scale helps explain Bayraktar’s wealth: Baykar recorded sales of $1.9 billion in 2023, and exports rose to $1.8 billion in 2024.

Forbes net worth timeline

Forbes first put Haluk Bayraktar at $1.1 billion on its 2024 World’s Billionaires List. A year later, Forbes raised that estimate to $1.6 billion on the 2025 list. In 2026, Forbes increased the figure again to $2.4 billion on the World’s Billionaires List. Those moves tracked Baykar’s growing scale as a drone manufacturer and its wider reach with military customers in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

The business numbers in the same period help show why the estimate moved higher. Baykar posted $1.9 billion in sales in 2023, then said exports climbed to $1.8 billion in 2024. Forbes notes that contracts with militaries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East helped drive that export growth. By October 20, 2026, Forbes still had Bayraktar at $2.4 billion on its real-time billionaire tracker.