Middle East Informant (from an ordinary citizen in the cloud): Military deployment of drones (UCAVs) in the Middle East (2)

Development and export of UCAV in Turkey and Iran

(Turkish UCAV Bayraktar TB2)

According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) database, Turkey is the 16th largest arms exporter in the world, and the top in the Middle East. Recently Turkey is enthusiastic about the development of UCAV. Bayraktar TB2, the latest UCAV model of Baykar, has the huge inquiries from various countries. Bayraktar TB2s have been delivered to Ukraine, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Poland[1]. Poland is a member state of the EU and NATO. Ukraine plans to purchase an additional 24 sets[2]. It is reported that more than 10 countries including Saudi Arabia are interested in to purchase Turkish UCAVs.

Iran officially cannot export UCAVs due to US economic sanctions. However, Iran supplies its UCAVs to anti-American or pro-Shiite sects in the Middle East including the Yemeni Houthi faction. Their typical model is Mohager-6. (photo)

The United States is nervous about UCAVs by Turkey and Iran. The US Congress warned of exporting Turkish UCAVs to other countries[3], and the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) tells that Iranian UCAV threatens the security in the Middle East[4].

UCAVs flying over the Middle East

Wherever the conflicts take place between states, ethnicity or religion, people require weapons. Unfortunately, armed conflict never stopped in the Middle East. Once the Arab Spring in the early 2010s delivered the illusion that the Arab would change in peaceful and democratic society. However, it was disillusion and political turmoil has deepened. Yemen and Libya are such example.

Formerly, UCAV was monopolized by the United States. But when IT and AI technology became popular, Iran and Turkey got their own UCAV. Gulf oil-producing countries, which has no own technology but has abundant money, procured UCAVs from other countries. UCAV is much cheaper than F-35 stealth man-piloted bomber of $ 100 million. They can easily buy UCAVs. Cost of the US made UCAV Reaper MQ-9 is approximately $ 13 million. That is about one tenth of the F-35. Gulf oil-producing countries don’t mind the price tag of Reaper MQ-9. UAE bombed the Libyan government forces with the Reaper MQ-9 when they join the rebel Haftar corps in the Libyan civil war.

More and more countries are procuring Turkish or Iranian UCAVs, which are much cheaper than the Reaper MQ-9. The Quds Forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps explained that UCAVs were a major pillar of military operations outside Iran[5].

China, the world's fourth-largest arms exporter, is focusing on selling its own UCAV Wing Loong as a promising export product[6]. China is the world's largest exporter of UCAV.

(Photo; Wing Loong made in China)

When offensive-type UCAV becomes popular, defensive-type UCAV is inevitably be developed. Turkey is developing Fedai. Fedai searches for enemy’s UCAV soaring at high altitude, and catch and explode the object. They call Fedai as Kamikaze UCAV[7]. (Photo: Fedai)