Turkish drone manufacturer donates Bayraktar TB2 drone to Lithuania

Europe, Middle East, News June 4, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Defense announced to donate one drone to Lithuanian fundraisers for free, who had been collecting funds to buy drones for Ukraine for its war efforts against Russia.

Hundreds of ordinary Lithuanian citizens chipped in, largely in small amounts of 5 to 100 euros, in order to buy advanced military drones for Ukraine and to show their solidarity with the former Soviet Union state. A target of 5 million euros was achieved within three and a half days to fund the purchase of a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone.

Inspired by the act of generosity shown by the Lithuanian people, the Turkish manufacturer Baykar Defense decided to donate the drone for free.

The company tweeted from its official account, “The people of Lithuania have honorably raised funds to buy a Bayraktar TB2 for Ukraine. Upon learning this, Baykar will gift a Bayraktar TB2 to Lithuania free of charge and asks those funds go to Ukraine for humanitarian aid.”

The drone will be delivered to Lithuania in a few weeks and it will be painted in the colors of the Lithuanian and Ukrainian flags.

The people of Lithuania have honorably raised funds to buy a Bayraktar TB2 for Ukraine.

Upon learning this, Baykar will gift a Bayraktar TB2 to Lithuania free of charge and asks those funds go to Ukraine for humanitarian aid.

🇹🇷🇺🇦🇱🇹@a_anusauskas @VSemeska @Lithuanian_MoD pic.twitter.com/3PjIyZiME5
— BAYKAR (@BaykarTech) June 2, 2022

Lithuania’s Deputy Defense Minister Vilius Semaska made a visit to Turkey on June 2 in order to finalize the deal with Baykar representatives in Istanbul, but much to his surprise, the Turkish drone manufacturer agreed to deliver the drone free of cost.

“We came to Turkey to agree on conditions for the drone purchase, but they prepared the most pleasant surprise possible for us,” Semaska said in a statement after the meeting.

Lithuania’s Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas also described the gesture from the Turkish company as ‘unbelievable’ and ‘amazing’. He stated that the raised money would now be used to buy ammunition and for the Bayraktar drone while the remaining amount would be used to carry out humanitarian support in Ukraine.

Bayraktar TB2 drone has proven to be quite effective against Russian forces in the Russia-Ukraine war. The drone has become quite popular among Ukrainians and other eastern European countries. A Ukrainian soldier Taras Borovok also released a song named ‘Bayraktar’ in March, that praises the drone for its performance. The drone has also proven its worthiness during the conflicts in Syria and Libya. An official purchase for this drone was also being orchestrated by Lithuanian Defense Ministry.

*^{Turkish military’s Bayraktar TB2 drone lands at Gecitkale Airport, on December 16, 2019. (Image Credit: Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency)}*

As a part of the military modernization program, Ukraine purchased 12 Bayraktar drones in 2019. These drones acted as the front line for air defense for Ukraine as the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022. Ukraine bought more than 20 Bayraktar TB2 armed drones from Turkish company Baykar in recent years and ordered a further 16 on January 27, 2022. The first batch of these drones was delivered in early March this year that was used against Russian forces with significant effectiveness.

The Bayraktar TB2 is a lightweight, medium-altitude, and long-endurance Unmanned Combatant Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) that can carry four L3Harris Hornet bomb racks to accommodate L-UMTAS (Long Range Anti-tank Missile System).