Turkish Armed Forces Lead Globally in Drone Technology, Operations

(MENAFN) The Turkish Armed Forces rank first worldwide in operating, managing, and advancing technology for both armed and unarmed drone systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), according to the country’s Chief of General Staff.

“The Turkish Armed Forces are truly number one in the world in the use, management, and technology of UAV and UCAV systems,” Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu told journalists in Germany during NATO’s Distinguished Observer Day at Steadfast Dart 2026, the alliance’s largest live exercise of the year.

He explained that Turkish forces contributed notably to amphibious and land operations, as well as air command and control elements during the exercise.

“As one of the countries with the highest level of participation, we carried out this exercise successfully,” Bayraktaroglu said, noting that he attended alongside Gen. Metin Tokel, commander of the Turkish Land Forces.

Bayraktaroglu highlighted that the Turkish Naval Forces Command performed its amphibious tasks successfully, while a mechanized task force from the Land Forces Command executed the land operations component. “We also managed the air system successfully,” he added.

He emphasized that all personnel met their responsibilities and that all weapons, equipment, and systems employed by Turkish participants were fully domestically manufactured.

The chief also noted that the Turkish task group completed highly successful air and amphibious maneuvers in the Baltic Sea. He pointed out that the UCAV Bayraktar TB3, launching from the ship TCG Anadolu, accurately struck its target and accomplished its mission.

MENAFN21022026000045017640ID1110770948