Baykar technicians arrive in Kosovo: New procurement of Bayraktar TB-2 for the Kosovo Security Force?

Written by: Dean Džebić

In recent days, a delegation from the Turkish company Baykar arrived in Kosovo, officially meeting with Kosovo's Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci. The Turkish delegation was led by Haluk Bayraktar, the company's general director, which further underscores the significance of the visit to Pristina. On the other hand, this visit by the Turkish delegation is additional evidence of how important Turkish-Kosovo defense cooperation is for both Pristina and Ankara.

Namely, from the end of the war in Kosovo to the present day, Turkey's presence is by far the most significant in Pristina, accompanied by accompanying economic and trade investments and exchanges. On the defense front, everything that Pristina cannot independently purchase in terms of weapons and military equipment, or that some EU or NATO countries refuse to sell, Turkey offers with its defense industry products.

Currently, the Turkish contingent within KFOR is the third largest in strength, and the position of mission commander was taken over a month ago by Major General Özkan Ulutaş.

Of course, the most widely publicized procurement by the Kosovo Security Force was carried out this year precisely with Turkish Baykar, when five Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles were ordered for the needs of the Kosovo Security Force. The reaction from official Belgrade was more than panicked, along with protests to KFOR regarding the permission to complete this procurement, which in itself speaks volumes about how significant this acquisition is.

According to unofficial information from our source, the high-ranking Baykar delegation did not come empty-handed this time either. Namely, for several weeks now, Baykar engineers and technicians have been at the airport in Gjakova, who, according to information from our source, are preparing the base station infrastructure to receive two or more new Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles. Supporting this claim is the arrival of a C-130E Hercules transport aircraft at Pristina airport a few days ago. It should also be noted that the TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicle control complex is equipped with ground and base stations.

Certainly interesting, and in these new circumstances crucial, was the report by Kosovo television about the newly arrived TB-2s in June of this year. Namely, the report states that the Kosovo Security Force received "around five" unmanned aerial vehicles, which leaves considerable room for interpretation. On the other hand, a photo of Prime Minister Albin Kurti next to one of the unmanned aerial vehicles was used to mock this procurement in Serbian media, but the frenetic protest from official Belgrade nevertheless spoke louder than that cynicism.

It should also be noted that the Kosovo Security Force, in addition to the Turkish TB-2s, is equipped with American RQ-20 unmanned aerial vehicles intended for reconnaissance with a range of up to 15 kilometers. As an additional argument for Kosovo's determination to take the security initiative, it is also pointed out that the RQ-20 was purchased in over 10 units. Even besides these two systems, it is reliably known that the Kosovo Security Force also has Turkish loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) of the ALPAGU type in its arsenal.

With this procurement, confirmation of which we will soon receive, we are actually getting the contours of Turkish-Kosovo ties, but also for Bosnia and Herzegovina, an offer of a suitable roadmap for development and evolution in thinking about security threats. Regardless of the fact that official Belgrade views the Kosovo Security Force as police forces, their equipment absolutely contradicts this. Today, the Kosovo Security Force, with an active component of around 10,000 professional soldiers and 5,000 reservists, represents a significant deterrent factor. And if that does not represent an adequate deterrent model for potential aggressors, the sound of the Bayraktar's propeller engines could awaken reality in dormant and unrealistic ambitions.