The First Batch of Bayraktar TB2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Has Arrived in Romania
On June 14, the Romanian Ministry of Defense announced that the Romanian Armed Forces had received the first batch of their order for 18 Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles purchased from Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Defense last year, in accordance with the 2040 Transformation Program targets. The delivery of the first batch, consisting of six unmanned aerial vehicles in standard configuration and related command and control equipment, coincided with the graduation day of Romanian aviation personnel trained at Baykar’s facilities in Keşan.
Baykar Defense CEO Haluk Bayraktar started his speech at the graduation ceremony with the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, “Emotions bind nations more than treaties. Romania has a brotherly place in our hearts.” Bayraktar continued his speech by saying, “Today, we graduated the military personnel who will use the Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, which will serve in the inventory of Romania, which ‘holds a brotherly place in our hearts’, with a ceremony held in our facilities in Keşan. I congratulate the Romanian Land Forces graduates who have successfully completed their training. I know that these recently graduated soldiers will contribute to peace and regional stability in the Balkans and the Black Sea.”
Romanian Armed Forces 18th ISR Brigade Commander Colonel Virgil Nicu Florescu stated that there is a deep historical bond between Turkey and Romania and added, “The founder of the Romanian Army, General Ioan Emanuel Florescu, traveled to Istanbul in 1860 to buy artillery from the Ottoman Empire for our army. My name is Florescu, and today I feel like him as the commander of the UAV brigade.”
According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, these systems, which have not yet been officially put into service, will be added to the Romanian Land Forces inventory at an event scheduled after all acceptance procedures are completed by the end of this month or the beginning of next month. Romania will receive the remaining 12 Bayraktar TB2s under the contract worth $321 million in two batches, in September 2024 and January 2025. These unmanned systems, which have proven effective in combat missions, will be deployed in Timisoara, where the Romanian Air Force previously stationed its 93rd Air Base, which housed MiG-23s before their retirement.
The procurement of Bayraktar TB2s, which will support Romania in improving its combat capability, is the result of the Bucharest government’s efforts to strengthen the allied stance on NATO’s eastern flank in the face of the uncertain security situation in the Black Sea region as a result of Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine. In this context, in addition to the unmanned aerial vehicles purchased from Turkey to fulfill NATO duties and commitments, the Romanian Armed Forces purchased the Watchkeeper X unmanned aerial vehicle from Israeli Elbit Systems, as well as 32 F-16A/B aircraft that have been in service with the Norwegian Air Force for 42 years. Romania is also reportedly in talks with the United States to purchase the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter as part of its efforts to modernize its air force.