Maldives Acquires Bayraktar TB2 Drones for Maritime Surveillance

Maldives has received an unspecific number of  Bayraktar TB2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for surveillance of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that measures some 900,000 square kilometers.

Photos of the drones which arrived at the Maafaru International Airport in an IL-76 aircraft on March 3 were published on social media.

“Citing senior government officials, local media reports suggest the government allocated US$37 million from the state’s contingency budget for this purpose (to purchase Bayraktar drones),” Maldives Republic said.

While the exact number of drones are unknown, given the known price tag of $5 million apiece for the Bayraktar TB2, Maldives could have acquired a package of 7-10 drones.

It is not known when the drone deal was concluded. However, it it is significant that President Muizzu chose Turkey for his first official visit after taking up office in December 2023 where he declared his country’s intention to set up an embassy in Ankara.

During his maiden address to Parliament in February, the President underscored the strategic importance of the Maldives’ EEZ and asserted the nation’s right to protect its maritime domain from external claims and underscored the need arms procurement.

The Maldives government recently gave the President the authority to remove import duties on items for military and security service use which is said to have facilitated the procurement of military drones.

On February 11, President Muizzu declared that his administration would recover lost territory from the Maldivian Sea and that it would no longer be accessible to “foreign armed troops”. He made the remarks in a video address on the occasion of the 46th Martyrs' Day.