Who has armed drones?
More countries than ever now operate armed drones that can surveil, loiter and strike across borders, without sending a single soldier. At least 48 nations possess medium-altitude and long-endurance (MALE) systems, a class of military drones typified by the US MQ-9 Reaper and Turkey's Bayraktar TB2. This global shift has redrawn the map of remote warfare.Turkey has become the top supplier of armed MALE drones, surpassing the US and China.advertisementWHY IT MATTERS?Drones change how wars are fought, often without troops crossing borders.
According to a website called dronewars.net that tracks drone-related data and analysis, Turkey has emerged as the world's leading exporter of armed MALE drones. Since 2021, it has supplied these systems to at least 28 countries, more than China (14), the US (six) and Iran (three) combined.The Bayraktar TB2, Turkey's flagship drone, is now being operated across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. This marks a shift in global defence supply chains - from traditional Western dominance to new regional powers shaping how modern wars are fought.IN NUMBERSAs many as 48 countries now operate armed MALE drones.At least 28 of them were supplied by Turkey.As many as 14 countries received drones from China.Six countries from the US and three from Iran.At least 15 countries use drones within their territory.Eight countries have carried out cross-border drone strikes.IN DEPTHadvertisementThe use of MALE drones has expanded rapidly. These drones can loiter for over 24 hours and strike targets with precision. MALE drones like the Bayraktar TB2, Wing Loong and MQ-9 Reaper are no longer exclusive to major powers.By March 2025, 48 countries had acquired armed MALE drones. While early adopters like the US (2001) and Israel (2004) developed their systems, most states acquired drones through imports. The trend accelerated after 2021, driven by Turkey, which has supplied MALE drones to 28 countries, including first-time operators, like Kenya, Bangladesh and Kosovo.China has exported to 14 countries, mainly Africa and the Middle East. Only a handful of countries, such as Iran, Israel, China, Turkey and the US have developed MALE drones domestically. The rest rely entirely on foreign suppliers.Several countries, including Ukraine, Morocco and Ethiopia, operate drones from multiple sources, signalling a shift toward mixed inventories.The growth is in hardware and capability: More countries are using drones for cross-border strikes or internal security, making them an integral part of modern military doctrine.Turkey has become a key player in the global drone landscape, not just as a supplier but as a military innovator. In a widely publicised test in early 2025, a Turkish-made TB3 drone successfully launched from and landed on the TCG Anadolu, the country's first aircraft carrier. Nato sees Turkey as a crucial defence member and partner, especially as tensions with Russia grow.Must Watch
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Time of India
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- Time of India
'Ukraine, Russia should fight for a while': US President Trump compares war to kids fighting, says sanctions still on table
Donald Trump President Donald Trump on Thursday said it might be better to 'let them fight for a while' when asked about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, drawing a striking analogy between the war and a playground brawl as he hosted newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. 'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,' Trump said during an Oval Office meeting, adding that he had relayed the same sentiment to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call the day before. Merz, sitting beside him, said he agreed with Trump that the war was 'terrible,' but emphasized Germany's full support for Ukraine and its efforts to avoid civilian harm. 'We are on Ukraine's side,' Merz said. 'We are trying to get them stronger.' The visit marked the first in-person meeting between the two leaders, though they've spoken multiple times since Merz took office on May 6. Merz, a business-friendly conservative and longtime critic of Trump's predecessor Angela Merkel, presented Trump with a gold-framed birth certificate of his grandfather Friedrich Trump, who emigrated from Germany. Behind the symbolism lay major policy disagreements. Trump is pressing NATO allies to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP, a leap from the 2% minimum previously agreed. Merz, for his part, has endorsed 3.5% by 2032, plus additional spending on infrastructure. A White House official said trade, defense, and what the administration calls 'democratic backsliding' in Germany were also on the agenda. Trump's administration has criticized Berlin for perceived erosion of free speech protections and its reluctance to engage with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), now the country's main opposition party. Merz defended Germany's internal politics, saying he was open to discussing domestic matters with Trump, but noted, 'We hold back when it comes to American domestic politics.' On Ukraine, Merz rejected the idea of a 'dictated peace,' called for more sanctions against Russia, and vowed to keep supporting Kyiv militarily — including helping it develop long-range missiles. Under his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, Germany became the second-largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the US. Trump left open the possibility of sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine. 'When I see the moment where it's not going to stop … we'll be very, very tough,' he said. Trade tensions also loomed large. Germany exported $160 billion in goods to the US last year, versus $75 billion in U.S. exports to Germany, a deficit Trump wants to erase. The president's 25% tariff on autos is aimed at pressuring German automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, though many already have US plants. Merz warned that tariffs 'benefit no one,' but trade decisions will ultimately rest with the EU. Trump recently paused a 50% tariff hike on EU goods set to take effect this month. Despite the friction, both leaders projected cautious optimism about cooperation. As Trump put it: 'We'll see.'
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Trump says it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while'
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He added that he had relayed that analogy to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on about Trump's comments as the two leaders sat next to each other, Merz stressed that both he and Trump agreed "on this war and how terrible this war is going on," pointing to the U.S. president as the "key person in the world" who would be able to stop the Merz also emphasized that Germany "was on the side of Ukraine" and that Kyiv was only attacking military targets, not Russian civilians."We are trying to get them stronger," Merz said of meeting marked the first time that the two leaders sat down in person. After exchanging pleasantries - Merz gave Trump a gold-framed birth certificate of the U.S president's grandfather Friedrich Trump, who immigrated from Germany - the two leaders were to discuss issues such as Ukraine, trade and NATO and Merz have spoken several times by phone, either bilaterally or with other European leaders, since Merz took office on May 6. 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The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the Merz told reporters Thursday morning that if Trump wanted to talk German domestic politics, he was ready to do that but he also stressed Germany holds back when it comes to American domestic has thrown himself into diplomacy on Ukraine, traveling to Kyiv with fellow European leaders days after taking office and receiving Zelenskyy in Berlin last week. He has thanked Trump for his support for an unconditional ceasefire while rejecting the idea of "dictated peace" or the "subjugation" of Ukraine and advocating for more sanctions against their first phone call since Merz became chancellor, Trump said he would support the efforts of Germany and other European countries to achieve peace, according to a readout from the German government. Merz also said last month that "it is of paramount importance that the political West not let itself be divided, so I will continue to make every effort to produce the greatest possible unity between the European and American partners."Under Merz's immediate predecessor, Olaf Scholz , Germany became the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States. Merz has vowed to keep up the support and last week pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any range his remarks on Thursday, Trump still left the threat of sanctions on the table. He said sanctions could be imposed for both Ukraine and Russia."When I see the moment where it's not going to stop ... we'll be very, very tough," Trump home, Merz's government is intensifying a drive that Scholz started to bolster the German military after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Trump's first term, Berlin was a target of his ire for failing to meet the current NATO target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense, and Trump is now demanding at least 5% from White House official said the upcoming NATO summit in the Netherlands later this month is a "good opportunity" for Germany to commit to meeting that 5% set up a 100 billion euro ($115 billion) special fund to modernize Germany's armed forces - called the Bundeswehr - which had suffered from years of neglect. Germany has met the 2% target thanks to the fund, but it will be used up in has said that "the government will in the future provide all the financing the Bundeswehr needs to become the strongest conventional army in Europe." 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India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
How Does Pakistan Keep Getting Loans? Unpacking The Dirty Secrets Behind The Global Funding That Shields A Failing State
New Delhi: Pakistan is broke. Its economy is shattered. Foreign reserves are vanishing. Yet it keeps getting blank cheques. Weeks after the International Monetry Fund (IMF) handed it over $1 billion in emergency funds plus an additional $1.3 billion in loans, the nuclear-armed state got another $800 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). India protested. The world ignored. And it is not the first time. Why does a nation with internal chaos and globally infamous for harboring terrorists keeps getting rewarded? Despite global acknowledgment of Pakistan's double-faced policies – begging for aid while exporting 'jihad' – the money keeps flowing. So what makes Pakistan the global community's 'spoiled child with a nuclear button'? The answer is not economic. It is political, strategic and dangerously hypocritical. Let's get this straight: Pakistan is not getting loans because it deserves them. It is getting them because the world is afraid of what will happen if it collapses. Its economy is in tatters. Pakistan's forex reserves dipped in 2023 below $3 billion – barely enough for three weeks of imports. The 2022 floods cost the country more than $30 billion in damages. 1. Too Nuclear to Fail: Pakistan's debt has ballooned to over $130 billion. If it defaults, global banks lose billions. It is financial blackmail that is working. 2. Location: Sitting between China, Afghanistan and Iran, the country holds strategic real estate. The West, especially the United States, does not want it slipping entirely into China's orbit. 3. A Loan with Strings: These are not freebies. IMF and ADB loans come with demands – raise taxes, cut subsidies and sell public assets. Western companies often swoop in to buy the leftovers. Global lending institutions like the IMF and the ADB may present themselves as neutral bodies, but their actions suggest otherwise. They claim to operate on technical grounds, but do not blink twice when handing over billions to a country that fuels terrorism in Kashmir and harbors global fugitives. And where is India in this equation? Despite protests after attacks like Pahalgam, New Delhi's influence is minimal. India's voting share in the IMF is small compared to the United States and Europe. Meanwhile, Pakistan's removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2022 made getting loans even easier. The United States sees Pakistan as a pawn in its Afghanistan endgame. China, through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is turning it into a client state. Loans are just the leash – a way to pull Pakistan closer when needed and push it when not. Who Really Benefits? Not the people of Pakistan. Experts like Sushant Sareen argue these loans fatten the Pakistani military, not fuel reforms. Former diplomat Kanwal Sibal warns that the IMF funding indirectly supports terror. Even former Pakistani envoy Husain Haqqani admits that the IMF is an ICU for Pakistan, not a cure. These loans do not save Pakistan. They sustain it just enough to remain a useful mess. A mess that is allowed to fester because it serves the interests of those who pretend to fix it. Pakistan is not only playing the victim, it is gaming the system and the system is letting it.
