According to Anadolu Agency (AA), the deal signed between Qatar Armed Forces and the Turkish aircraft manufacturer ‘Baykar Machinery’, which was signed on the sideline of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex 2018), included six unmanned aircraft and control stations as well as technical and logistical equipment for these aircraft.

The six aircraft and control stations have passed the factory quality tests and are ready to be handed over to the Qatari Armed Forces, AA have said.

As part of the same deal, a 55-person Qatari team has completed its training courses on the use of the TB2 drones in Turkey by a team of Baykar engineers and experts. At the end of the four-month course, all members of the Qatari team have graduated, including an unmanned drone commander, maintenance personnel and other functions related to the “TB2” aircraft.

The Graduation ceremony was held at the Baykar training facility in northwestern Turkey’s Edirne Province.

The function was attended by Turkey’s Deputy Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir,  Baykar Machinery Technical Manager Selcuk Bayraktar and a number of Qatari and Turkish officials.

Selcuk Bayraktar said in speech during the ceremony that Turkey currently ranks sixth in the world among countries capable of producing unmanned aerial vehicles and their smart weapons, depending on local capacities.

He added that the Turkish drones are played an important role during the operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, which were carried out by the Turkish military in northern Syria.

Bayraktar stressed that the drones deal would contribute to cementing the Qatari-Turkish relations.

Turkey’s Deputy Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said that Turkey’s defence production has increased by 65 percent during the past 15 years.

Under the deal, Baykar Machinery will provide technical and logistical support to the Qatari side for the aircraft operating system for two years.

The deal is the first sale of the ‘Bayraktar  TB2’ aircraft to the Turkish system. ‘Bayraktar  TB2’ is a medium altitude and long-range (MALE) tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system.

The aircraft provides operational information to the operations centers of the Turkish armed forces during its mission in the air, as well as being able to target the identified threats with on-board munitions.