Turkey to Supply Its Ally with Armed UAVs

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Neighboring partners Turkey and Azerbaijan have inked several military cooperation agreements to strengthen their already close military ties and boost Turkey’s defense exports. Now, Azerbaijan intends to purchase dozens of armed unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey. 

Turkish sources said Azerbaijan is interested in the Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude, long-range tactical UAV, according to defensenews.com.

The defense cooperation between the two countries has been deepening at a time when Azerbaijan has been engaged in a massive effort to modernize and upgrade its military ties. 

Turkey plays a significant role in providing arms and military technology to Azerbaijan, which spent around $2 billion on its defense industry in 2019.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov confirmed that the Turkish government would provide financial support for the purchase in accordance with a military financial cooperation protocol signed by him and his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to Baku in February.

According to the deal, approved by Azerbaijan’s parliament, Turkey will provide a total of 200 million Turkish lira, equivalent to around $30 million, to its Caspian ally for purchasing goods and services for military purposes from Turkish defense industry companies.

While Azerbaijan diversifies its heavy-armament deals, Turkish defense industry giants are building new partnerships to take advantage of Azerbaijan’s increasing military expenditure, according to nordicmonitor.com.

Since 2015 Turkey has been a key source market for purchases of armed drones such as Bayraktar drones and the TAI Anka, which have proven their capabilities in Syria and Libya.