Poland is to receive armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey under a deal disclosed by the country's Ministry of National Defence (MND) on 22 May.
The Turkish built Bayraktar TB2 is a single-engined MALE UAV that can carry a range of air-to-surface weaponry. (Baykar)
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz BĹ‚aszczak announced the purchase, noting that deliveries of four Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), comprising 24 UAVs, will commence in 2022.
“We negotiated a contract for the purchase of four sets, i.e. 24 aircraft, armed with anti-tank missiles. The first set will go to the Polish armed forces next year,” Błaszczak was quoted as saying on the MND's official Twitter account.
Built in Turkey by Baykar Makina, the Bayraktar TB2 is a single-engined medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV that was developed to provide the Turkish Army with a tactical intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.
According to Janes All the World's Aircraft: Unmanned , the Bayraktar TB2 is 6.5 m long and has a 12 m wingspan. With a maximum take-off weight of 630 kg, the air vehicle can carry up to 55 kg in mission system and/or weapons payload. Performance specifications give the Bayraktar TB2 a cruising speed of 70 kt, a range of 150 km, an endurance of 24 hours, and a service ceiling of nearly 30,000 ft.
Having made its maiden flight in June 2009, the Bayraktar TB2 has previously been sold to the armed forces of Azerbaijan, Qatar, Turkey, and Ukraine.
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