Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inspected the growing fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) boasted by the country’s armed forces during a trip to Surkhandarya region on November 16.
Among the models he viewed was a Turkish Bayraktar TB2. Previously, there was no official confirmation of its presence in Uzbekistan.
The TB2, produced by Baykar, headed by Selcuk Bayraktar, a son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can stay in the air for observation purposes for up to 24 hours and can operate within a control radius of up to 150 kilometres (93 miles).
Also presented to Mirziyoyev was a Wing Loong, a drone manufactured by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. The drone can be used at medium altitudes of up to 5,000 metres and over a distance of up to 4,000 km. The device completed flight tests in 2020.
The Wing Loong is exported to countries including Uzbekistan, Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Serbia and Kazakhstan. The estimated cost of one of these drones is $1mn.
The first Lochin UAV to be produced in Uzbekistan also featured in the presentation.
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