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Türkiye's Baykar delivers drone to Lithuania after crowdfunding campaign

Turkish manufacturer Baykar said in June it would donate the drone for free, with Lithuania's government committing to spend 1.5 million euros of the crowdfunded money to arm it and the rest of the nearly 6 million euros collected going towards humanitarian help for Ukraine.

Reuters ECONOMY
Published July 04,2022
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Lithuania has taken delivery of a Bayraktar combat drone from Türkiye after hundreds of Lithuanians clubbed together to buy it for Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Monday.

In the end, Turkish manufacturer Baykar said in June it would donate the drone for free, with Lithuania's government committing to spend 1.5 million euros of the crowdfunded money to arm it and the rest of the nearly 6 million euros collected going towards humanitarian help for Ukraine.

Pictures shared by the Lithuanian government showed the drone delivered with a logo of a hawk, in Lithuania's and Ukraine's colours. An internet vote in Lithuania named the done after the bird.

Ukraine has bought more than 20 Bayraktar TB2 armed drones from Baykar in recent years and ordered a further 16 on Jan. 27. That batch was delivered in early March.