Qatar all set to make its skies safer by purchasing six TB2 drones from Turkey
In the last few years, Qatar has been making significant efforts to secure its borders. Just recently, France delivered the first of many Rafael jets to Qatar.
And now, Turkey is preparing to hand over six ‘Bayraktar TB2’ military drones as part of a deal signed between the two sides in 2018, reported Gulf Times.
Qatar Armed Forces had signed the deal with Turkish aircraft manufacturer Baykar Machinery on the sidelines of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex 2018).
Turkey is preparing to hand over six "Bayraktar TB2" military drones to Qatar, as part of a deal signed by the two sides in 2018. #QNA
The deal will see the Turkish weapons manufacturer supply six unmanned aircraft and control stations to Qatar. They will also provide the country with all technical and logistical equipment for these aircraft.
The six aircraft and control stations have passed the factory quality tests and are ready for handover to the Qatari Armed Forces.
As part of the deal, a 55-member Qatari team has completed its training courses on the use of the TB2 drones in Turkey, reported Qatar Tribune.
At the end of the four-month course, all members of the Qatari team have graduated, including an unmanned drone commander, maintenance personnel and other functionaries related to the TB2 aircraft.
Turkey currently ranks sixth in the world among countries capable of producing unmanned aerial vehicles and their smart weapons, depending on local capacities.
Turkish drones have played an essential role during the operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, which were carried out by the Turkish military in northern Syria.
The deal marks the first sale of the ‘Bayraktar TB2’ aircraft, which is a medium-altitude and long-range (MALE) tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system.
The aircraft provides operational information to the operations centres of the Turkish armed forces during its mission in the air. It will also be able to target identified threats with on-board munitions.
A very good step .................