By Asiri Fernando/The Morning
Colombo, March 17: The Maldives, Sri Lanka’s Indian Ocean neighbour, last Saturday (16) equipped up the ‘Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) Air Corps’ with the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or drones.
Maldivian deputy Minister for Defence Mizna Ali said in statement on social media platform ‘X’, formally known as Twitter that the establishment of an Air Corps within the MNDF and the unveiling of UAVs as the first service of the corps “is truly of great importance and a significant milestone in safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of the nation.”
“It is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement in the history of the nation’s military. The unveiling of the UAVs will ensure the security of our ocean resources and counter any unlawful activities in our territorial waters.”
“All in all, the Maldives Military has unlocked a remarkable accomplishment! Congratulations and Thank you HEP @MMuizzu for your vision and tireless work for our Nation. Congratulations Defence Minister @mgmaumoon and Defence Team, worked day and night to make it a success,”
The inauguration ceremony for the MNDF Air Corps and UAVs took place at Noonu Maafaru Airport,” the Maldivian Ministry of Defence said.
The historic move, which comes barely six months after the election of Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, following his success at the Maldives presidential election last September (2023).
Muizz’s sentiments about India and China are well known. He asked India to remove its troops (87 strong contingent, stationed to support aviation activity of three donated aircraft) out of the archipelago.
The launch of the new MNDF aviation arm, also comes days after Maldives signed a defence agreement with China, adding to anxiety in New Delhi about the archipelago nation’s security tilt, and increasing distance from India’s sphere of influence.
India recently moved to establish a fully-fledged Naval base in Minicoy, in the Indian territory of the Lakshadweep archipelago, which is close to the Maldives. The establishment of the Naval facility had been in the pipeline for several years.
The commissioning of the Turkish-made UAS, which has become a globally sought-after defence kit, following its success in the Syrian, Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts, and the ongoing Ukraine-Russian conflict, is also an indicator that Turkey is gradually becoming a significant defence partner for the region.
Turkish TB2 UAS are already in service with Pakistan, Bangladesh and are tipped to be inducted into the armed forces of several Southeast Asian nations. The acquisition of Turkish hardware may also indicate that Maldives is looking to diversify its defence and security partnerships.
The TB2 UAS displayed at the MNDF launch, does not clearly indicate if the crafts are equipped with Maritime Surveillance Radar, which are essential for wide area surveillance. Interestingly, the TB2 displayed at the ‘Air Corps’ launch which was attended by President Muizzu and senior defence officials, indicates that the aircraft has four wing hard points for external stores, or weapons. If confirmed, it would be the first such armed aviation capacity that the Maldives has inducted.
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