The role of Turkish-made drones in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia in the latest round of fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh is a cause of concern for Europe’s defence policy, said Gustav Gressel, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
Gressel urged Europe to consider its “options”, saying the combat drones used by the Azeri military was one of the key decisive factors of its success, according to Middle East Monitor on Tuesday.
“This is a distinct lesson for how well Europe can defend itself,” MEMO cited Gressel as saying.
Instead of dismissing the South Caucasus conflict as a minor war between poor countries, Europe should make itself aware of the threat posed by the Turkish drone warfare used by Azerbaijan, Gressel said, according to the news website.
Gressel said that no European army except France and Germany has a capable air defence system to protect its own ground forces. “That should make them think – and worry”, the analyst said.
Besides their use in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, the Bayraktar TB2 and Anka-S drones have been effectively deployed in combat operations within Iraq, Syria and Libya in the recent years.