Pakistan has received delivery of multiple Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, according to open-source satellite imagery. Visuals from Google Earth confirm the presence of Bayraktar TB2s at the Pakistan Air Force Murid Base, located in the north-central district of Chakwal. The Bayrkatar TB2, manufactured by the Turkish private defense firm Baykar, has given Ukraine critical air strike capabilities against the invading Russian forces.
Shephard Media’s Arslan Khan identifies two ground control stations in the satellite imagery. He assesses that Pakistan has received between two and six Bayraktar TB2s. Pakistan also has domestically manufactured drones as well as unmanned aerial vehicles purchased from China.
Relations between Ankara and Islamabad continue to grow even amid political change in Pakistan. Growing military-to-military ties has anchored the bilateral partnership. Pakistan has purchased $202 million in arms from Turkey from 2011 to 2021, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. These transfers include four MILGEM Ada-class corvettes. Pakistan too has a budding arms export industry, driven by the JF-17 fighter jet co-produced with China.
