(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 12. At the“Colonel Marko Živković” barracks in Velika Gorica, the Croatian Armed Forces have begun testing their newly acquired Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial systems and related equipment, Trend reports.

Over the next week, trials will take place both day and night throughout Croatia, in compliance with national airspace regulations.

The tests are being carried out by representatives of Baykar, the manufacturer of the Bayraktar TB2 system, together with members of the Croatian Armed Forces who completed training in the Republic of Türkiye.

The training of Croatian Armed Forces personnel was conducted at the Baykar Training Center in Türkiye, where Croatian pilots, system operators, and technicians acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to operate these advanced military systems.

Testing will be conducted on all six Bayraktar TB2s, the first of which arrived in Croatia at the end of July and was already presented to the Croatian public during the recent ceremonial military parade.

These are six modern, armed unmanned aerial vehicles that, in addition to combat operations, have effective applications in border surveillance, fire monitoring, reconnaissance, and similar missions. Such systems are used in 37 countries worldwide, including several NATO member states.

The contract for the procurement of the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial system, worth EUR 67.01 million excluding VAT, was signed on November 21, 2024, at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia. The agreement was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić and Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of the Turkish company Baykar Makina San. Ve Tic. A.Ş.

In addition to the six armed unmanned aerial vehicles, the package includes a command-and-control center, a training simulator, ground control stations, ground data terminals, an initial set of spare parts including all necessary equipment and tools for user-level maintenance, associated munitions, a two-year warranty, the presence of Baykar's technical experts in Croatia for two years, training at Baykar's training center in Türkiye, and transport of the entire package to Croatia.

On September 25, 2024, the Croatian Parliament's Defense Committee unanimously endorsed the procurement of the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial system.

According to the contract and plan, all goods and services were to be delivered within nine months of signing, and the entire system was to be operational by the end of September 2025. Despite the demanding deadlines, the project is progressing ahead of schedule.

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