Transport trucks carrying drones that arrived on October 8 in Kosovo through Pristina International Airport "Adem Jashari".
Transport trucks carrying drones that arrived on October 8 in Kosovo through Pristina International Airport "Adem Jashari".
Kosovo received containers of "thousands" of Skydagger suicide drones on Wednesday, announced acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Kurti said on Facebook that the drones have arrived ahead of schedule and that dozens of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) soldiers have already been trained in their use.
Kosovo signed the contract in December last year with the well-known Turkish company Baykar, which is the parent company of the manufacturer Skydager, Kurti said.
"The Skydagger drones were scheduled to arrive in January 2026, but we received them three months early," he said.
Kosovo's acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti inspects military equipment as the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and troops from the US and other NATO allies participate in a military exercise in Kosovo. June 2025.
"These suicide drones, also known as RTF (Ready to Fly) Skydagger FpVs procured by us, are combat drones equipped with explosive devices with the aim of hitting moving and static enemy targets," Kurti wrote.
Kurti said that, with the purchase of these drones, Kosovo is continuing to "raise and increase the striking power of our army with the aim of building a capable and coherent force with new technological developments and contemporary warfare tactics."
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has criticized Turkey, saying he is appalled by the country's behavior and believes it has violated the United Nations Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
"It is now completely clear that Turkey does not want stability in the Western Balkans and is dreaming again of the revival of the Ottoman Empire. Serbia is a small state, but we understand their real intentions," the Serbian president said in a post on X - formerly Twitter.
The Skydagger RTF is a "ready-to-fly" drone, often also a combat drone, equipped with an explosive device for use against stationary and moving targets, although it also has professional applications such as surveillance and search and rescue.
RTF means that the drone is fully assembled and includes all necessary components, such as the drone itself, a radio transmitter, a receiver, and batteries, making it ready to fly immediately upon purchase.
This drone can fly at a maximum speed of 130kmh at a maximum distance of up to 10 kilometers.
The Kosovo Security Force is currently in the process of transforming into an army.
This process began in 2018, following the adoption of legal amendments, and is expected to last ten years.
Ministry of Defense spokesperson Liridona Gashi had not previously revealed to REL how much was spent on armaments this year, but stressed that this government has invested "many times more" than in the past.
In September, the KSF received a drone purchased from the United States - the RQ-20 Puma LE model.
Kosovo receives drones purchased from the US
In August, the KSF was also equipped with armored vehicles, purchased from the United States.
Last year, it submitted a request to purchase 200 more Javelin anti-tank missiles, and is now in the process of making payment.
In 2018, military Humvee vehicles also arrived in Kosovo from the US. The Kosovo government, at the time, signed a contract with the American company AM General for the purchase of 51 vehicles of this type.
Two years later, Kosovo purchased other military vehicles from the US, while in 2021, the US Government donated 55 ASV (Armored Security Vehicles) vehicles to Kosovo.
In recent years, the Government of Kosovo has increased the budget for the defense sector - this year it reached 207.8 million euros.
The KSF trains continuously at American and European bases, and also participates in multinational exercises such as "Defender Europe".
American-made Humvee military vehicles, which the KSF possesses. Photograph from the archive.
At the end of last year, Kosovo also signed an agreement with Turkey to build its first ammunition factory.
Gashi, from the Ministry of Defense, says that the expectations are for it to be operational “within two years.” Meanwhile, regarding the military cooperation announced in March between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia, he says that “a joint plan of activities is currently being compiled.”
The United States has supported the transformation of the KSF into an army from the beginning, but not NATO, which insists that the KSF stick to its original tasks, such as crisis response or civil protection./REL
