This was stated on Wednesday by the Turkish ambassador in Bucharest in the context of the fact that Romania, an outpost, is trying to modernize its army after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports AFP.

“This friendly country, a Black Sea neighbor and NATO ally, is adding the Bayraktar TB2 to its arsenal,” diplomat Ozgur Kivanc Altan said on Twitter.

A spokesman for the Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed this information to AFP.

The value of the contract is 321 million dollars, the portal Europa.eu reports.

3 drone systems will be purchased, each with 6 platforms. In total, the army will have 18 Bayraktar TB2 drones and 6 platforms. According to official sources, the drones will be used by the Ground Forces of Romania.

Private company Baykar’s TB2 model, donated by one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sons-in-law, proved useful in Libya and Azerbaijan, and later in Ukraine, where the TB2 was used in the early hours of last year’s Russian offensive.

According to the company’s management, Turkey currently exports its relatively cheap drones to 28 countries, mainly in Africa, but also to Poland.

In Romania, a NATO member since 2004, the war has had an accelerating effect between the intensification of NATO missions – with several thousand troops on its territory – and army modernization projects.

Thus, the country increased its defense budget to 2.5% of GDP in 2023 compared to 2% last year.

The Defense Ministry is awaiting the green light from parliament to order 54 used American Abrams tanks, as well as submarines, mine countermeasures ships and new equipment for Romanian warships.

He also wants the latest generation of US F-35 fighter jets, but it will likely take years for that expensive project to become a reality.

Meanwhile, used F-16s bought last year from Norway are set to add to their fleet, while Soviet MIG-21s, which form the backbone of the Romanian Air Force, will soon enter the hangar.

The Turkish drone Bayraktar TB2 is:

• U unmanned aerial vehicle.
• It has a length of 6.5 meters and a wingspan of 12 meters.
• The maximum take-off weight is 650 kilograms.
• The drone can carry two MAM-L precision guided missiles weighing 21.5 kilograms each and two MAM-C missiles weighing seven kilograms each.
• They can hit targets at a distance of two to eight kilometers.
• The autonomy of the drone flight is up to 24 hours, and the range of action in the visibility zone is up to 150 kilometers, Defense Romania reports.