MERSIN, Turkey – Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar has delivered the final batch of Bayraktar TB2 combat systems ordered for $270 million to Poland, the company announced.
Poland signed an agreement in May 2021 for drones and associated equipment. The contract provided for the delivery of four systems, each including six aircraft and three ground control stations.
Baykar first delivered six TB2s in October 2022, at a ceremony held at Poland’s 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base.
On May 16, it completed the cumulative shipment of 24 TB2s during an event held in Poland. Participants included Poland’s deputy defense minister, the head of the Turkish Defense Industries Presidency agency and the general manager of Baykar.
Haluk Bayraktar, who leads the company, wrote Thursday on social media site X that the company “has delivered the last system of our Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs to Poland. Thus, for the first time in Turkey’s history, we have successfully completed the export of high-tech UCAVs to [both] a member country of NATO and the EU.”
Defense News has reached out to the Polish Ministry of Defense for comment on how the drones will be used and whether Ukraine will receive any.
Ukraine is currently fighting a Russian invasion, which heavily involved drone warfare. The TB2 made headlines when Ukrainian forces used them against Russia early in the war.
The medium-altitude, long-endurance drone can help with reconnaissance, target identification for artillery and precision strikes. It has an advanced avionics suite with a system that allows autonomous taxiing, takeoff, landing and cruising.
