MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Two Orlan-10 multi-purpose drones will arrive for Russia’s Kant air base in Kyrgyzstan by the end of 2020, the press office of the Central Military District reported on Monday.
Russia’s Central Military District Commander Colonel-General Alexander Lapin announced on February 27 that a squad of short- and medium-range unmanned aerial vehicles had been set up at the Kant air base in Kyrgyzstan.
"Two Orlan-10 multi-purpose drones will arrive before the end of 2020 to further arm the drone squad. Their employment will raise the efficiency of … army and attack aviation in conducting combat operations and joint drills," the press office said in a statement.
On February 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on ratifying a protocol on amendments to the agreement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan on Russia’s integrated military base that will make it possible to deploy a squad of unmanned aerial vehicles at the base. The agreement was ratified by Kyrgyzstan’s parliament on June 12.
Russia’s integrated Kant airbase is an air component of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) Rapid Reaction Force and accomplishes the missions of providing security on the territory and in the airspace of the CSTO member states, including Kyrgyzstan. The Kant airbase operates Su-25 attack aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters.
Russia’s Central Military District is based on the territory of the Volga, Urals and Siberian integrated federal districts and 29 Russian regions. Structurally, the Central Military District also includes some overseas facilities: the 201st military base in Tajikistan, the Kant integrated military base in Kyrgyzstan and units stationed on the territory of Kazakhstan.