Romania is set to purchase 18 of Turkey’s TB-2 Bayraktar armed drones along with logistics support, Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday, citing Romanian media.
Approval from Romanian parliament has been requested to begin the tender process totalling some $300 million to acquire drones destined for its ground forces as part of the country’s NATO targets and its military endowment plans, it said.
TB-2 Bayraktar is produced by Baykar, the country’s leading drone manufacturer whose chief technology officer is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The drones have most recently been lauded for countering Russian attacks against Ukraine, with both Western and Ukrainian officials singing the praises of the battle-tested weapon since Russia’s invasion began in February.
NATO member Romania, which shares a 650-kilometre (400 mile) border with Ukraine, in March announced plans to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product next year from 2 percent at present. The move was a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The TB2 – which has a 12-meter (40-foot) wingspan and can soar to 25,000 feet and ability to destroy tanks and artillery with laser-guided armor-piercing bombs – has also played an important role in the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh and spearheads Turkey’s global defence export push.
Ahval