Albania has bought three Turkish-made Bayraktar 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 on Tuesday.
"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.
Source: Reuters
Latvia has signaled it could be the second European Union and NATO member state to acquire Turkish armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have scored high-profile successes in the field, following last month's purchase by Poland.
The testing process of Bayraktar TB3, Türkiye’s new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of being deployed on aircraft carriers, continues at full speed, with manufacturer Baykar recently announcing the drone has completed its fifth flight and flew with the landing gear retracted for the first time.
Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Tech on Dec. 14 conducted the first flight test of its unmanned fighter jet, known as the Bayraktar Kizilelma.
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