Ukraine plans to purchase 24 more Turkish drones

KIEV, Ukraine

Ukraine plans to buy 24 more Turkish drones, the country’s top military authority announced Sunday.

Armed Forces Commander in Chief Valeriy Zaluzny told reporters that Ukraine plans to purchase the Bayraktar TB2 (Tactical Block 2) unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) in the 2021-2022 period.

Ukraine currently has 12 Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs in its inventory, which are being used by its air and naval forces.

"We also intend to include such drones as domestic production in our inventory in the future," he said.

Zaluzny also underlined that it is not enough to purchase them only, noting they need to learn to use them effectively.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces purchased six Bayraktar TB2 UAVs and three ground control stations from Turkey in 2019, which were delivered in two months.

In July this year, the first batch of TB2s was delivered to the Ukrainian Naval Forces.

The Bayraktar TB2 entered the Turkish army’s inventory in 2014 and is currently used by several other countries, including Ukraine, Qatar and Azerbaijan.

Turkey has used its cutting-edge drones effectively over the years in cross-border anti-terror military operations such as Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Spring Shield to liberate areas near the Syrian border from terrorist groups.

Turkish drones are also said to have played a crucial role in last year's six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara