Poland becomes first NATO country to buy Turkish drones

Poland will purchase Turkish armed drones, becoming the first NATO and EU member state to buy the hardware from Ankara, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on May 24.    

The deal will be a boost for the Turkish defense sector, which Erdoğan has said should meet the country's own military hardware requirements and export to allies abroad.    

The sale was announced during a state visit to Ankara by Poland's President Andrzej Duda, who will visit Istanbul on May 25.    

"Turkey will for the first time in its history export drones to a NATO and EU member," Erdoğan told reporters after holding talks with Duda.    

Erdoğan hailed the drones, saying "we are one of the best three, four countries in the world" for the hardware.

"We're really happy to share this experience, capability, and opportunities with our NATO ally," he said.    

Duda emphasized Poland's bid to improve trade ties with Turkey, adding that he hoped bilateral trade would reach $10 billion (8.1 billion euros).    

The two leaders also signed deals for the tourism, agriculture, and sports sectors.    

Erdoğan also said Turkish F-16 jets would "soon" be sent to Poland to assist NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation.

On the weekend, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced the country will purchase 24 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey.

An agreement on the sale of Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones was expected to be signed during Duda's visit to Turkey after the Daily News went to press. This would be the first time a NATO member acquires Turkish drones.

The Bayraktar TB2 drones, the first of which are due to be delivered next year, will be armed with anti-tank projectiles. Poland will also...