The contract for the purchase of the Unmanned Aerial Combat Vehicle (UCAV) or Bayraktar TB2 drone made in Turkey by the Government of Kuwait has finally been completed. The two of them have now legally signed a purchase contract worth US$367 million.
This news had previously been widely reported in the international media since last January. However, the purchase contract has not been fully agreed upon and today, Wednesday (14/6/2023), the contract for the purchase of the Bayraktar TB2 drone made by Baykar was confirmed by the company's official Twitter account.
Unfortunately, in the contract to purchase the Bayraktar TB2 drone by Kuwait, it was only nominal. It is not clear how many units are in the purchase contract. This is the opposite of the contract to purchase drones that are the pride of the Turkish people and President Erdoğan by the UAE government last September. At that time, the UAE was said to have agreed to buy 120 Bayraktar TB2 drones without a nominal mention.
Although it was not stated how many Bayraktar TB2 drone units were obtained by Kuwait with a dowry of Rp. 5.5 trillion, it seems that this can be known from transactions in the purchase of these drones by other countries, in this case, Romania.
Last year, the country in Eastern Europe and Baykar signed a contract to buy 18 Bayraktar TB2 drones worth US$299.6 million. With a nominal value of US$367 million, Kuwait should have received around 20 Bayraktar TB2 drones. However, it could be smaller or larger depending on the negotiations between the two parties.
It was stated that Kuwait frankly bought the Bayraktar TB2 because of its reputation which was quite good on the battlefield, such as in the war in Syria, the war in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan (Winned by Azerbaijan thanks to the TB2 drone), to the Russia-Ukraine war, although later reports said Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drone beats Russia.
The Bayraktar TB2 drone can fly continuously for 27 hours and three minutes in difficult geographical and climatic conditions such as high temperatures and sandstorms.
As a combatant drone, the Bayraktar TB2 can carry a variety of weapons for surface attacks, such as MAM, MAM-L and UMTAS missiles. From the specifications, the Bayraktar TB2 has a wingspan of 15 meters and a maximum weight at takeoff of 650 kg.
Bayraktar TB2 is supported by a single engine with two bladed variable pitch propellers. The engine power reaches 100 hp, technically this drone can accelerate at a speed of 129 km per hour. Entering the MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) category, this drone can fly more than 20 hours at an altitude of 6,858 meters. While the cruising range in Line of Sight (LoS) mode reaches 150 km.
Earlier this month, a statement issued on the website of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that Bucharest was also considering buying the F-35 in a bid to modernize its air force.