Bayraktar TB2 performs during third edition of Turkiye’s premier technology and aerospace event TEKNOFEST at Cigli Airport in Izmir, Turkiye on September 28, 2023. (Photo by Mehmet Emin Menguarslan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
BEIRUT — The Croatian government reportedly gave approval to procure six Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles in a deal worth $95 million.
“The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia expressed the need for priority and urgent procurement of the armed Bayraktar TB2 system, and the company submitted an informative offer and a proposal for the Bayraktar TB2 configuration based on the ‘total package’ model,” Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anusic said, according to Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency.
He added that the “configuration is based on six aircraft equipped with electro-optical cameras for reconnaissance, including the initial set of weapons, and ensures double radio coverage of the entire territory of Croatia in stationary and mobile version.”
The deal will include command and control stations, training simulator, ground monitoring and control stations, as well as set of initial spare parts enough to reach 4,000 flight hours.
Training on the drones will take place in Turkey and the UAVs will have the necessary maintenance equipment, per the news report. Neither
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Anusic said that decisions “on historical investments were made in the modernization and equipping of the Croatian Army. Decisions on the preparatory actions for the procurement of the most modern Leopard 2 A8 tanks, the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial system and the maintenance of Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets were adopted.”
Anusic added that the defense budget proposal for 2025 was also adopted, amounting to 1.5 billion Euros.
Built by Turkish dronemaker Baykar, the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle has been used in several recent conflicts, including the Russian and Ukraine war and the Azerbaijan and Armenian conflict. Baykar and the Croatian Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Breaking Defense’s request for comment.
The TB2 became tied to Ukraine’s fight against Russia, and early into the fight a Ukrainian government-organized song about the UAV had become an international trend.
