Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkey would supply Egypt with combat drones ahead of an expected visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Cairo soon.
Fidan stated in a televised interview that “the normalization process between the two countries has largely been completed and is important for security and trade in the region.”
He added: “We have agreed to supply them with drones,” stressing that “we must have serious relations with Egypt for security in the Mediterranean Sea.”
Two days ago, the Egyptian Minister of Military Production and his Turkish counterpart met to discuss cooperation in the field of joint ammunition production.
Egyptian Minister Mohamed Salah noted that a team from the Egyptian military production had visited three Turkish companies last December, indicating the readiness of Egyptian military production to cooperate with Turkish companies in joint ammunition production, with one side producing components, and the other side producing the rest of the components and assembly.
The Egyptian Minister expressed Egypt’s interest in localizing some of Turkey’s modern manufacturing technologies within the production lines of affiliated companies.
Major General Adel Al-Amdeh, a consultant at the Military Academy for Advanced Studies and Strategy in Egypt, told “Arabiya.net” and “Al-Hadath.net” that Erdogan’s visit signifies a return to normalcy between the two countries, which will have the most significant impact on cooperation and coordination between the two countries to face the challenges facing the region.
He said that the Turkish drones Turkey plans to supply to Egypt are among the best unmanned aerial vehicles in the world, with the capability to fly and operate for more than 24 hours.
He added that the aircraft has significant capabilities in accurately hitting specified targets from a distance of 5 km and an altitude of 18,000 feet, even in harsh weather conditions.
It also has the advantage of night reconnaissance and the ability to perform surveillance, exploration, and destruction missions.
Al-Amdeh pointed out that the security challenges in the region, energy security, and Mediterranean security are behind Turkey’s delivery of some of these drones to Egypt.
He said that drones have become of great importance in modern wars and have great importance in achieving some military successes, so Egypt needed to be equipped with these aircraft to complement its armament strength, especially since Turkey has a long history in this field.
He added that these aircraft will add significant capabilities to achieve strategic balance in the region, confirming that Egypt will also provide Turkey with a set of military technologies that will contribute to enhancing military cooperation between the two countries.
