Albania has bought three Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones that will be ready for action if the country’s national security is threatened, but will be used in the meantime to help police, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said.
“They will be ready for every occasion,” Rama said during a signing ceremony with representatives of Turkish defence company Baykar in Tirana, adding that he hoped the drones would never have to be used in a war.
He did not say when they would be delivered and whether Albania will seek to buy more of them.
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.
Some 30 people are expected to be trained to operate the drones.
Bayraktar drones continue to gain popularity globally after being used by Ukraine’s military to thwart Russian forces.
Albania, which joined NATO in 2009, has helicopters but no fighter jets.
The number of countries to which the battle-proven drone has been exported has risen to 27, according to the firm, including NATO member Poland, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The company has also signed deals with five countries for exports of its much larger sibling Akıncı.
Neighbouring Kosovo, which is going through an ethnic crisis, is also planning to purchase Bayraktar drones.
“We signed an export contract with Albania, a country we have walked alongside for centuries and share strong historical, cultural and humanitarian ties,”
said Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar.
Rama did not say how much the government paid for the drones, when they would be delivered and whether Albania will seek to buy more of them.
Sources: Daily Sabah; Reuters