Ouagadougou: President Ibrahim Traoré on Monday handed over a new delivery of twelve 'effective' drones to the army, acquired from Trkiye thanks to contributions from the Burkinabè people, AIB learned.Burkina Faso Information AgencyRead the full dispatch from the presidency of FasoReconquest of territory: the Head of State hands over air vectors to the national armed forces(Ouagadougou, April 8, 2024). The President of the Transition, Head of State, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE handed over this Monday, a large batch of air vectors to the Ministry of Defense and Veterans as part of the reconquest of the territory and the fight against terrorism.By officially handing over the dozen combat drones acquired thanks to the various contributions of Burkinabè citizens, Captain Ibrahim TRAORE expressed his satisfaction at making 'at the disposal of the defense a certain number of devices consisting essentially of Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Akinci". Head of State, 'all the tests were conclusive; It is therefore a s ource of pride to confirm that these aircraft are joining the Burkinabè army fleet.'The Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces reassured of the performance of these devices. 'TB2 no longer needs to be presented. It has proven itself since the start of this war and I think that the novelty is Akinci which has surpassed the technical capabilities that the manufacturer had planned. It was subjected to strong tests in its carrying capacity, endurance, ceiling, speed, performance, etc. During the test, he participated in combat missions. These are very efficient, reliable devices that we currently have,' maintained Captain TRAORE.These drones were developed by a Turkish company. And on the occasion, the President of the Transition thanked his Turkish counterpart for the support he provides to Burkina Faso during this crucial phase of its history. 'Today we can say that cooperation with Turkey is going very well. And this is an opportunity to thank His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, who was ab le to lead this cooperation as required. This is the kind of partnership we need; healthy and sincere,' declared the Head of State.He also thanked the Burkinabè people who understood the meaning of the fight and got involved, through various contributions which allowed the armed forces to increase in power for the defense of the territory.'All you see is thanks to the people that we can acquire these devices which will increase our operational capacity. The expansion of the fleet therefore makes it possible to intervene in a timely manner and to have permanent surveillance,' rejoiced the Head of State.The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Brigadier General Kassoum COULIBALY reassured the President of the Transition of the judicious use of the equipment received. 'We have a multitude of machines of this type currently in the sky scanning, searching to find and destroy any enemy thanks to the contributions of the populations,' explained General COULIBALY.He praised the effort of the people hired under contract, the majority of whom are Burkinabè students, who work with enthusiasm for the success of the operations. 'We are sure of what they are doing. They are committed and qualified,' he added.Brigadier General Kassoum COULIBALY recalled that the acquisition of this equipment is part of the implementation of the Strategic Equipment Plan for the national armed forces. 'There still remains a final phase of what was planned in this first Equipment Plan,' he maintained.Source: Burkina Information Agency