Poland will buy 24 armed drones from Turkey, the Polish defence minister said on Saturday. After doing so, it will become the first NATO country to buy Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
The Bayraktar TB2 drones, the first of which will be delivered next year, will be equipped with anti-tank projectiles. Poland will also buy a logistics and training package, said Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
Blaszczak told state radio the Bayraktar TB2 drones have proven themselves in wars and added that the UAVs would be serviced by a military company, without giving further details.
The deal, which will be concluded without a procurement process, will be signed next week during a visit by Polish President Andrzej Duda to Turkey.
Turkish defence technology company Baykar has sold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drone to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Qatar, and Libya. President Tayyip Erdogan said in March that Saudi Arabia was also interested in buying Turkish drones.
Authorities in fellow NATO member Turkey say the country has become the world’s fourth-largest drone producer since President Erdogan increased domestic production to reduce reliance on Western arms.
