Albania has purchased three Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones to be used for national security and to aid police efforts, the country’s prime minister, Edi Rama, said on Tuesday, according to the Albanian Daily News.
“They will be ready for every occasion,” Rama said during a signing ceremony with representatives of Turkish defense contractor Baykar in Tirana, adding that he hoped the drones would never have to be used in a war.
Baykar produces the Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, which has been used by Ukraine in the fight against Russia and previously by Azerbaijan in the war with Armenia as well as in Syria and in Libya.
Rama said the drones, which will be armed and ready for combat, will help authorities in a number of areas, including monitoring the Balkan country’s territory, locating cannabis plantations and tracking wildfires.
Arnavutluk ile #BayraktarTB2 SİHA ihracat sözleşmesi imzaladık. 🇹🇷 🇦🇱
Bu anlaşma ile #BayraktarTB2 SİHA ihraç edilecek ülke sayımız 27 oldu.
We signed an export contract for the #BayraktarTB2 armed UAV with Albania. 🇹🇷 🇦🇱#MilliTeknolojiHamlesi ✈️🚀🌍🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZlPX0MegCC
— BAYKAR (@BaykarTech) December 20, 2022
According to the Baykar website, the TB2s, which are 39 feet long with a wingspan of 21 feet and an operational altitude of 18,000 feet, can fly up to 138 miles per hour and can carry four smart munitions, or up to 330 pounds.
The Bayraktar TB2 has so far been exported to 27 countries, according to Baykar.
One of Baykar’s directors is Selçuk Bayraktar, the husband of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s youngest daughter.
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