Marruecos recibe los primeros drones turcos destinados a vigilar las fronteras de Ceuta y Melilla

Morocco has received an arsenal of Bayraktar TB2 military drones to monitor the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, according to Far-Maroc. In addition to border control, the drones are expected to be used to prevent drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

The new drones have been stationed at two military bases, one in the Tangiers-Tetouan region and the other in El Araoui, near the Melilla border and the Algerian border, two points of great migratory influx and a suspected transit area for "extremists".

According to different sources, these drones would not be used for "attack purposes" but rather to try to "encircle" the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. In this line, Rabat assures that the deployment of the arsenal will not be carried out for hostile purposes in any way.

In this way, the drones will allow the area to be monitored and will try to transmit images of any suspicious activity, with special vigilance in those areas that are difficult to access for police operations. 

According to Assabah media, "these new drones will be deployed to ensure surveillance of the country's borders. The mission is to track traffickers of all kinds, fight illegal immigration and monitor suspicious movements of people".

As part of the renewal and modernisation of Morocco's military arsenal, the Kingdom of Morocco acquired thirteen Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey in July. These drones are equipped with an avionics system that enables the aerial vehicle to carry out intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and armed attack missions. In addition, the TB2 has proven to be highly effective in operational flight, achieving more than 350,000 glide hours.

Also, the Bayraktar can carry a payload of more than 55 kilograms and can fly at an altitude of up to 22,500 feet for more than 24 hours. 

Since 2014, TB2s have been employed by the Turkish Armed Forces and a total of 160 Bayraktar platforms are currently in service with Qatar, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, in addition to Turkey.