Kuwait has officially taken delivery of its first batch of Bayraktar TB2 tactical unmanned aerial systems from Turkey, celebrating the milestone with a ceremonial launch at the Ali Al Salem Air Base.
This marks a major step in Kuwait’s $367 million investment aimed at expanding the nation’s autonomous aerial capabilities for a variety of missions, including strike operations, intelligence gathering, maritime surveillance, border security, and search-and-rescue efforts.
As part of the deal, Kuwait also received essential logistical and sustainment support packages to ensure long-term system readiness.
The event featured a technical presentation on the drone’s capabilities, followed by a live demonstration. Kuwaiti government officials toured the operations and readiness centers and interacted with the national drone teams.
With this acquisition, Kuwait becomes the 29th country to adopt the Bayraktar TB2 — a combat-proven UAV that has seen action in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and Azerbaijan.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish-made medium-altitude, long-endurance drone with a wingspan of 12 meters and a length of 7 meters.
It is equipped with GPS navigation, electro-optical and infrared cameras, a laser designator, and a 100-horsepower internal combustion engine.
The UAV can reach speeds up to 120 knots (222 km/h), fly for up to 27 hours, and operate at altitudes as high as 8,230 meters with a control range of 150 kilometers.
Kuwait had previously conducted successful test flights of the drone in the Kisah region in February.
