Kuwait signs contract with Turkey to buy $367 mln worth of drones

Kuwait has signed a contract with Turkey to purchase Bayraktar drones, while the US approved a potential sale to the emirate worth nearly $2 billion.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

14 June, 2023

28 countries have purchased Bayraktar TB2 drones [Getty/archive]

Kuwait has concluded a contract worth $367 million with Turkish defence firm Baykar to buy its TB2 drones through direct negotiations between the two governments, the Kuwaiti army said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement did not reveal how many drones would be delivered to Kuwait or when.

International demand for Baykar's TB2 drones soared after they featured in conflicts in Syria, Libya and Azerbaijan and interest in them increased further following their use by Ukraine's military to thwart Russian forces.

How Turkey's Bayraktar Kizilelma could revolutionise aerial warfare

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The State of Kuwait would be the 28th country in the world to conclude a contract for the Bayraktar TB2 drones.

Also, the Pentagon said on Tuesday that the U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of follow-on military technical and maintenance services to Kuwait in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion.

The principal contractors will include Sigmatech Inc, L3 Technologies and Boeing Co, the Pentagon said.

(Reuters)