The Kenyan armed forces have recently received at least six Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey. These advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were spotted in a military hangar in Kenya, displaying the Kenyan flag on their inverted V stabilators.
The delivery follows a successful training program for Kenyan operators at the Baykar Flight Training Center in Keşan, Turkey. On August 23, Baykar, the manufacturer of the TB2 drone, announced on social media that Kenyan trainees had completed their training and graduated. This indicates that Kenya is now equipped with these cutting-edge drones, which can carry lightweight, laser-guided bombs and fly for up to 27 hours at a time.
It is not yet certain how many TB2s in total Kenya acquired.
The Bayraktar TB2 drones, priced between $2-$5 million each, are produced by Baykar, a defense company belonging to the family of Selcuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bayraktar serves as the company’s chief technical officer.
Kenya joins a growing list of African nations that have acquired or expressed interest in the Bayraktar TB2, including Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Togo, Niger, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mali, and Angola. The drone’s affordability and effectiveness make it an attractive option for countries with limited defense budgets.
The acquisition of the Bayraktar TB2 drones marks a significant step in Kenya’s efforts to modernize its military forces and enhance its defensive capabilities. With these drones, Kenya aims to bolster its surveillance and defense operations, particularly in the face of increasing security threats in the region.
According to Military Africa’s Drone Procurement Dataset, Kenya operates a number of tactical and long-range drones, including three Turkish Aerospace Anka-S MALE drone acquired in 2015, six Unmanned Aeronautics GhostRay drone, five Boeing Insitu Scan Eagles, and eight AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven acquired in 2012.