Albania Signs A Contract For The Procurement of Bayraktar TB2 Drones
The Albanian government, which has been known for some time to be interested in Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 drones, made an official order for the supply of three TB2s from Baykar Technology on Tuesday, December 20, with a ceremony held in the capital, Tirana. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Defense Minister Niko Peleshi, Albanian Ministry of Defense Secretary General Gelardina Prodani, Turkey’s Ambassador to Tirana Tayyar Kağan, and Baykar Technology General Manager Haluk Bayraktar all attended the contract signing ceremony.
In his speech at the ceremony, Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi expressed gratitude to the Turkish government for its recent support to the Albanian Armed Forces, saying, “I am confident that the use of these assets in our country will qualitatively increase the capacity of the Armed Forces and Civil Emergency structures to control the territory and prevent illegal events.” Peleshi went on to say that these systems are important not only for Albania’s national security, but also for the security of the NATO Alliance.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama emphasized that the agreement is not only for the purchase of drones, but also about building a bridge of cooperation between the Albanian Armed Forces and Baykar. “Baykar will be involved in the training of those who will be prepared to take over the operation of the control center of the state-of-the-art facility at NATO’s new Kuçovë Air Base being built in Albania,” he said. Rama continued his speech by saying that the drones in question would be used to track wanted persons, combat the illegal drug trade, and prevent forest fires. He also said that they never wanted to use these drones in a war, but that they would be armed and ready for combat against any kind of situation.
Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar stated, “We have an eternal friendship agreement signed 100 years ago and we still have a strategic partnership agreement,” in reference to the two countries’ long and friendly relations. Bayraktar continued by saying, “This technology has proven itself, and it is a very important element that should be in the inventories (of every country). This technology should be used not only in war, but also in peacetime. I hope that this technology will usher in a new era in relations between the two countries and protect Albanian independence and society.”
Following the authorities’ speech, signatures were signed for the supply of the TB2s to Albania. The contract was signed on behalf of the Turkish government by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar and on behalf of the Albanian government by Albanian Ministry of Defense Secretary General Gelardina Prodani. Following the signatures, Baykar’s General Manager presented Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama with Bayraktar TB2 and AKINCI models, as well as a coat with the KIZILELMA print. Bayraktar also stated that Baykar will establish a Science Center in Tirana to support Albanian youth’s technological development journey.
The Albanian authorities and Baykar did not provide information on the contract’s cost, content, delivery date, or whether additional orders will be placed. With this agreement, Baykar now has 27 countries with which it has signed export contracts for the TB2. While 18 of these countries announced publicly that they purchased TB2s, the names of the remaining 9 are unknown. Potential buyers include Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, El Salvador, Serbia, Slovakia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. There’s also the possibility that an undisclosed number of exports were made to some of these countries.