Ukraine receives Turkish-made combat UAVs

KIEV, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday that his country had received Turkish-produced Bayraktar TB2 combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) last week, local media reported.

Speaking at a meeting of the regional development council in northern Chernigiv region, Poroshenko said that the UAVs will undergo tests in Ukraine in the near future, according to the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency.

In January, Poroshenko announced that Ukraine's state-owned company Ukrspecexport signed a contract to purchase Bayraktar TB2 from the Turkish company Baykar Makina.

The Ukrainian media have estimated that Ukraine paid 69 million U.S. dollars for six UAVs and ammunition for them.

Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV with a maximum payload of about 50 kg. It can be used in surveillance, reconnaissance and combat missions.