Albania orders three armed TB2 drones

Widely circulated videos of Russian armored vehicles being destroyed from the air have thrust forward a lesser known drone called the Bayraktar TB2.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish company Baykar has signing a deal with Albania to sell three Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, the UAV manufacturer announced.

“We signed an export contract with Albania, a country we have walked along for centuries and share strong historical, cultural and humanitarian ties,” Baykar’s president, Haluk Bayraktar, announced Dec. 20 in a tweet . “The number of countries with which we signed export contracts for our #BayraktarTB2 UAVs became 27.”

Neither Albania nor Turkey, both of whom are NATO members, announced the contract price or delivery timetable.

Albania said the drones will be ready for action should the country’s national security comes under threat, and that the TB2s will also support the police force. The Balkan state also said the drones will help authorities monitor its territory, locate cannabis plantations and track wildfires. The aircraft is to be equipped with lightweight laser-guided weapons.

Baykar plans to train some 30 Albanian military personnel on air control and operations, with the country expected to base the drones at its Kucova air base, south of the capital Tirana, to support NATO air supply operations, and logistical support, air policing, and training.

Earlier this year Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Defense Minister Armend Mehaj visited a Baykar production plant in Turkey, expressing their intention to buy the TB2. In response, Kosova’s Balkan rival Serbia announced in September that it wanted to buy the Turkish combat drones. Negotiations for each potential order are underway.

Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.

俄罗斯装甲车被空中摧毁的视频在网络上广泛传播，这使得一款名为 Bayraktar TB2 的鲜为人知的无人机脱颖而出。

土耳其安卡拉——无人机制造商Baykar宣布，该公司已与阿尔巴尼亚签署协议，出售三架Bayraktar TB2武装无人机。

“我们与阿尔巴尼亚签署了一份出口合同。几个世纪以来，我们与阿尔巴尼亚一直保持着密切的联系，两国拥有深厚的历史、文化和人道主义纽带。”Baykar公司总裁哈鲁克·巴伊拉克塔尔12月20日在推特上宣布。“我们与签署#BayraktarTB2无人机出口合同的国家数量已达到27个。”

同为北约成员国的阿尔巴尼亚和土耳其均未公布合同价格或交付时间表。

阿尔巴尼亚表示，一旦国家安全受到威胁，这些无人机将随时准备投入行动，TB2无人机还将为警方提供支持。这个巴尔干国家还表示，这些无人机将帮助当局监控其领土，定位大麻种植地并追踪野火。该无人机将配备轻型激光制导武器。

Baykar计划对约30名阿尔巴尼亚军方人员进行空中管制和作战方面的培训，预计该国将把无人机部署在首都地拉那以南的库乔瓦空军基地，以支持北约空中补给行动、后勤支援、空中警戒和训练。

今年早些时候，科索沃总统维约萨·奥斯曼尼和国防部长阿尔门德·梅哈伊访问了土耳其拜卡尔公司的一家生产工厂，表达了购买TB2无人机的意愿。作为回应，科索沃的巴尔干对手塞尔维亚于9月宣布，也希望购买土耳其的作战无人机。目前，双方正在就潜在的订单进行谈判。

布拉克·埃格·贝克迪尔是《防务新闻》的土耳其记者。