Turkmenistan showcases Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone

On September 27, Turkmenistan unveiled for the first time its Bayraktar TB2 combat drones during a military parade marking the country’s 30th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, learned GDC citing Defense News. Turkmenistan is the fifth known state to have increased the number of TB2s in its military inventory.

Turkmenistan showcased a range of new military equipment during the parade, including Brazilian A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft, Bayraktar TB2 drone, Italian C-27J Spartan transport planes and Turkmen M-346 fighters in the city center near the presidential palace.

The TB2 on display was armed with MAM-L and MAM-C munitions, manufactured by Turkish firm Roketsan, and the Argos-II HD/HDT camera system by Germany’s Hensoldt. Turkmenistan imported defense and aerospace materiel from Turkey in July 2021 for $37 million, but the products were not revealed by officials.

Baykar’s chief technology officer, Selçuk Bayraktar said the company had exported the TB2 to four countries so far, with 10 more to come, including Latvia, Serbia and Albania to sign contracts with Baykar.

Qatar received six Bayraktar TB2s in 2019, following a 2018 order. Ukraine also procured six TB2s, after which Azerbaijan added the drone type to its armed forces, which played an important role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Baykar also recently inked a contract with the Polish government for the supply of TB2s, representing the first time the company is providing the drone to a NATO member country.

Turkmenistan has expanded its acquisitions of ammunition and military equipment from Turkey over the last decade. It has purchased patrol boats, fast-attack crafts, hydrographic vessels, and search and rescue vessels from Turkey since 2010. In August, Turkmenistan added the 91-meter Deniz Khan corvette, built by Turkey’s Dearsan shipyard, to its fleet, which will assume flagship of the Turkmen Navy.

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