The Use of Drones Has Increased in Central Asian Nations

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become more prevalent in Central Asian countries in recent years. The region has been gradually arming itself with drones, whether as a result of general shifts in warfare or specific occurrences like the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan or the fighting between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

But not every nation is striving to improve the capabilities of its drones in the same manner. The sort of UAVs they buy and from which suppliers depend on their particular defence policy, financial situation, and choice of international partners.

Military drones were used in assaults in Central Asia for the first time in September of last year. The incident happened amid the fighting between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The TB2 Bayraktar drones, which are built in Turkey, were allegedly employed by the Kyrgyz to bombard Tajik territory, according to claims made by the Tajik government. Video of the purported drone strike by the Kyrgyz appeared on social media. The destruction of Tajik military equipment, including two tanks, one multiple missile launcher, and an ammunition truck, was allegedly carried out by the Kyrgyz TB2. Initiating a base for the nation's brand-new TB2 drones, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov did so earlier during the same week that hostilities between the two nations erupted.

The same company's Bayraktar Aknc and Aksungur drones will soon follow the TB2 models. While the latter is a multirole drone capable of both long-term surveillance and strike missions, the former is a combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) with more weaponry and range than the TB2. In terms of UAV capabilities, Kyrgyzstan differs from its neighbour to the south thanks to a trio of drones built in Turkey.

Less aggressive efforts have been made by Dushanbe to overtake Bishkek. But when the Tajik minister of defence went to the Bayraktar facility in Turkey and reports started to circulate that Tajikistan was also planning to buy TB2s, Kyrgyzstan was alarmed. The advantage Kyrgyzstan had lately gained over Tajikistan would have been offset by this. Even the prospective Kyrgyz foreign minister acknowledged the deal's reality in front of lawmakers. Tajikistan ultimately decided against purchasing the Bayraktar drone.

Tajikistan looked to Iran for TB2s as opposed to purchasing them. When compared to the Turkish drones produced in Kyrgyzstan, the older and more constrained Ababil-2 drones were produced in Tajikistan by Iran the following month, in May 2022. The Tajiks will increase their inventory of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by incorporating American Puma drones in addition to Iranian-made surveillance and lingering munition versions. These hand-launched surveillance UAVs were given to Afghanistan and the Taliban by the United States as part of a larger $60 million security aid deal.

In contrast, Kazakhstan started expanding its drone inventory in 2016 when it bought Chinese-made Wing Loong Is. The Kazakh government went to Turkey rather than continuing to develop its UCAV capabilities with the following model, the Wing Loong II. But unlike Kyrgyzstan, Astana focused on the TAI Anka rather than the Bayraktar TB2. The agreement was made during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to Turkey in May 2022 and permitted the production of drones in Kazakhstan under licence. Kazakhstan uses Russian Orlan-10Es, two different types of Israeli drones, and small hand-launched RQ-11 Ravens for surveillance, as per the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan.

The first country in Central Asia to obtain a Bayraktar TB2 was Turkmenistan. During the military parade in 2021 commemorating the 30th anniversary of the nation's independence, their participation in the Turkmen armed forces was on full display. Before that, Turkmenistan had previously sourced its UCAVs from China in 2016, purchasing both CH-3As and WJ-600 A/Ds.

After a sluggish start, the Central Asian nations now view drones as an addition to, if not a crucial part of, their military forces. There is a compelling argument for UAVs in the area, both as specialist resources and as affordable substitutes to improve air-to-ground strike capabilities.

The three nations that border Afghanistan—Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—can utilise drones for monitoring. It is no accident that the U.S. has given similar vehicles to both the Tajik and the Uzbek forces, who will probably use them to keep an eye on their southern neighbour.