Turkish medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicles have entered service with Kyrgyzstan’s border troops, the Kyrgyz president’s official website reported on December 18.
The drones were reportedly purchased with funds from the republican budget and will be used to ensure the country's defense security, including the protection of the state border, the website said.
Recall, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said on October 23 that Kyrgyzstan is not buying drones to go to war with someone. “We will buy drones to ensure the country’s security,” Japarov stated.
Kyrgyz president stated about allocation of 100 million U.S. dollars for the country’s upgrading military equipment.
Two days earlier (on October 21), Kamchybek Tashiyev, the chairman of Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security, announced that Bishkek was procuring Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey and Orlan-10s from the Russian Federation.
Kyrgyzstan’s order for drones comes less than a year after the country engaged in brief border clashes with Tajikistan back in April. During those three days of clashes, Kyrgyzstan suffered 36 deaths.
The Bayraktar is capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar Defense, primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces. The aircraft is monitored and controlled by an aircrew in the Ground Control Station. While the Turkish Armed Forces describes Bayraktar TB2 as "Tactical UAV Class", international standards classify it as a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Bayraktar drones have reportedly been praised for their achievements by Turkish and non-Turkish authorities. According to some source, the TB2 drone completed 400,000 flight-hours globally as of November 26, 2021,
