The medium-altitude, long-endurance combat drones were set to be delivered to Poland’s 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Base in the northwestern town of Mirosławiec, state news agency PAP reported.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak was expected to attend the handover ceremony later in the day.
Bayraktar TB2 combat drones for Polish army
In May last year, Poland ordered four batches of Bayraktar TB2 drones, 24 drones in total, from Turkish contractor Baykar, in a contract worth USD 270 million, the PAP news agency reported.
The purchase was made in response to “an urgent operational need,” officials said at the time.
The Turkish UAVs, which are capable of carrying laser-guided bombs, are slated for delivery between 2022 and 2024.
Designed for observation, reconnaissance and combat missions, the Bayraktar TB2 is 6.5 metres long, with a 12-metre wingspan and a top speed of 220 kph, according to officials.
Under the deal, Poland will also receive three mobile command stations, synthetic-aperture radars (SAR), simulators and spare parts, as well as training and logistics support, officials told reporters.
In March this year, amid reports of the Bayraktar TB2 being successfully used by the Ukrainian army against invading Russian forces, Poland’s Błaszczak said, as cited by the PAP news agency: “We were right about this weaponry, we were right about the fact that the Polish Army must have bigger troop numbers than to date. We see evidence of all this in the war that is taking place beyond our eastern border."
Friday is day 247 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, bankier.pl