Albania Receives Unknown Strike Drones Previously Used in Ukraine

Albania has received unknown kamikaze drones that were previously used in Ukraine against Russian invaders.

Photos of strike drones were released on March 18, 2025, during the visit of Albanian Defense Minister Pirro Vengu to the Kuçovë Air Base.

NATO invested over €50 million in this Cold War-era airbase, and its reconstruction was completed in March 2024.

The work started in January 2022. Since then, the runway has been updated, a fence has been erected, and a security system and perimeter protection have been installed.

The base also hosts the Bayraktar TB2 strike drones purchased from Türkiye from the company Baykar, with the purchase agreement signed in December 2022.

It is now known that the Albanian Air Force has received another product, believed to be of Turkish manufacture — strike drones referred to online as YiHA-III. However, no official confirmation of this name has been found.

Previously, there were no reports of Albania ordering them. Similarly, other users who have been documented to possess them have not announced their acquisition.

Unknown Drones

The first recorded sighting of the drones is believed to be in the occupied territory of Ukraine, where Russian military personnel displayed the wreckage of an unknown type of strike drone.

Drones of this design have also targeted objects in the Belgorod region.

Militarnyi published an analysis by DanielR from the X social media, where he described an unknown drone that looked like a Pakistani kamikaze drone that was part of the country’s air force.

In one of the photos from Albania, a similarity in the serial numbers YX (YiHA: if the displayed products in Pakistan were marked as YX-68, YX-69, and YX-72, the Albanian one was labeled YX-121) can be noticed.

DanielR also assumed that these devices result from a joint development of the Pakistani company RE&RP Group and the Turkish company Baykar. Another option is that the Pakistani company has established production of Turkish products.

What More is Known About These Drones?

These UAVs are operated by the previously mentioned Albania, Ukraine, and Pakistan, and they have also been displayed in Azerbaijan, although no information has been released there either.

Two types of drone launch can be observed there:

• Using a runway and with landing gear;
• Using a catapult.

From the released images of the wreckage, it is already known that the engine is an internal combustion DLE 170 manufactured in China.

The fuel tank’s capacity is sufficient to cover several hundred kilometers. This is enough to strike targets such as radar stations, components of SAM systems, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and electronic intelligence (ELINT) systems, among others.

The strike’s effectiveness is enhanced by the warhead, which, according to Russian propagandists, is used from the OMTAS man-portable anti-tank missile system (ATGM), introduced in 2021. The manufacturer does not disclose the exact specifications.

The OMTAS ATGM was developed by the company Roketsan based on the air-launched anti-tank missile system UMTAS (Uzun Menzilli Tanksavar Sistemi). These missiles are now used to equip Turkish aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs.

This could indicate cooperation between several Turkish manufacturers in creating the strike drone.

Although little is known about these devices so far, it can be asserted that Albania has received a significant boost to its self-defense and strike capabilities with their effective tactical use.