The Albanian government has activated Bayraktar TB2 drones operated by the Air Force to monitor and assess the risk of wildfires, as high temperatures continue to spread active fire hotspots across the country.
Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu confirmed the deployment, stating that emergency teams and ground forces are on high alert and ready for immediate intervention, with a special focus on populated areas.
“Since the early hours of the morning, Bayraktar TB2 drones of the Air Force have conducted overflights of 18 active hotspots to assess the level of risk. Our crews and personnel on the ground are on standby to intervene wherever needed across Albanian territory, with priority given to inhabited zones,” Vengu wrote on Facebook.
The release of aerial images from the drones has provided valuable insight into the scale and intensity of the fires, aiding decision-making for emergency response teams.
This marks one of the first large-scale peacetime surveillance operations using the Turkish-made Bayraktar drones in Albania, reflecting the growing use of military-grade technology for civil protection and disaster management.
