Ukraine conducts flight tests of Turkish combat drones
The Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted initial tests of the Turkish assault and reconnaissance drones Bayraktar TB2, near the city of Rivno.
In the initial exercise, the drone first conducted reconnaissance, then targeted an "enemy command-and-control vehicle" launching a MAM-L laser-guided bomb (a range of up to eight kilometers and a guided accuracy of up to one meter).
The Ukrainian publication Defense Express earlier reported that Turkish drones destroyed at least 23 Russian-made Pantsir-S1 systems.
In March this year, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced plans to start joint production of Turkish combat unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine. At that time, Kyiv received six Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey manufacturer Kale-Baykar. At the end of 2019, Ukraine completed preparations for the operation and maintenance of the equipment.
In May 2019, Israel's ambassador to Ukraine announced that Jerusalem and Kyiv could begin production of military unmanned aerial vehicles.
"We are at war with another country. Therefore, it is very difficult for us when we have to hold the shield with one hand and build our country with the other hand. This is the know-how that we would like to share with Ukraine. But perhaps there is something other than drones that we could produce together with Ukraine," said Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lyon,durng the international Jewish conference, when asked about the prospects for cooperation between Ukraine and Israel in the field of military production.
"In war, it is not only military equipment that is important, but also the spirit of the people. So that people can adapt to society again when they return from the front. We are working on the creation of a rehabilitation hospital in Dnipro in order to rehabilitate the military," Lyon said.
Earlier, then Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine Serhii Verlanov said that Kyiv intends to increase trade with Israel by 20 percent in the next 3-5 years.
In March 2020, a short video appeared on the Internet, which shows how Turkish drones destroy Russian Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems in Syria.
In June 2020, Russia accused Israel of selling dangerous drone technology to Turkey.