Croatia is acquiring the Turkish-built TB2 UCAV as part of a wider revamp of its armed forces. (Baykar)
Croatia is to acquire the Baykar Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) from Türkiye.
Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Ivan Anušić, announced the procurement on 15 November as part of a wider raft of purchases geared at bolstering the Balkan country's armed forces.
Anušić did not disclose numbers or delivery dates.
The Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 is 6.5 m long and has a 12 m wingspan. It is equipped with an electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, synthetic aperture radar, and weapons. The weapons package for the TB2 includes laser-guided MAM-L thermobaric and MAM–C high-explosive Smart Micro Munitions, as well as training munitions from Roketsan.
With a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) 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.
Besides Croatia, the Bayraktar TB2 has been sold to the armed forces of Albania, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Libya (the Türkiye-backed Government of National Accord), Lithuania (having acquired at least two air vehicles on behalf of Ukraine), Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. Niger and Iraq have announced orders, while Serbia and Slovakia are reported to be in discussions for the system.
The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) has previously valued each TB2 system (comprising six air vehicles, three ground control stations, and spares) at USD67 million.
For more information on the TB2, please seeBayraktar TB2 .
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