Pres: No foreign military personnel to operate drones

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday, has assured no foreign military personnel will be stationed to operate the military drones recently commissioned under the MNDF Air Corps and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) unit.

President Muizzu made the affirmation in response to a question raised by a local for the Q&A program 'Raeesge Javaab'.

A local citizen inquired from President Muizzu on the program, if foreign officers would be deployed to the Maldives to operate the vehicles.

Muizzu responded confirming the current administration's strict stance against foreign military presence in the Maldives.

"No foreign military or nation would be involved, and neither would they extend assistance for the MNDF Air Corps and UAV services launched recently," President Muizzu said.

He added an MNDF batch of officers have recently flown to Turkey to receive training on operating the vehicles, and noted more batches are expected to fly soon.

"Maldivian military personnel will have total and complete involvement in operating the drones," the president added.

While the question for the possibility of foreign military presence was raised, the current administration had launched efforts to deport Indian military personnel from the initial days since coming to power.

President Muizzu had earlier demanded New Delhi to arrange repatriation of its soldiers, stationed in the Maldives to operate two helicopters and a Dorneir aircraft, latest by May 10.

The first batch of soldiers have already been repatriated back home, with a civilian replacement batch arriving shortly after.

President Muizzu launched the MNDF Air Corps and UAV services for the Maldives Defense Force on March 15th; ending the decades-long dependence on foreign allies for border patrol and safety.

The Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey measure six meters in length, and 12 meters in wing-span; they come with communications equipment weighing approximately 700 kilograms, with the ability to transmit signals to a range of 300 kilometers.

The drones can reach a maximum speed between 70 to 120 knots and can operate for 27 hours non-stop, with a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet.