On Friday, January 17, 2025, a farewell ceremony was held at the 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base (12. BBSP) in Mirosławiec for military personnel and the Bayraktar TB2 reconnaissance and strike unmanned system, which was deployed for the 8th rotation of the Polish Military Contingent (PMC) in Turkey. This marks the first foreign mission for the latest unmanned aerial vehicles in the Polish Armed Forces’ inventory.
Photos: 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base via Facebook
“We proudly take over the Polish Military Contingent in Turkey from the Naval Aviation Brigade. Soldiers from the 12th UAV Base will form the 8th rotation of the PMC Turkey. They will carry out NATO-mandated tasks in the operational theater of the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea,” reads a short post from the 12th UAV Base on Facebook.
“Every mission involving the Polish Armed Forces is a testament to our commitment to international security. As a NATO member, Poland fulfills its obligations to the Alliance by providing support, stability, and security. The presence of the Polish Military Contingent in Turkey is not just an operational deployment—it is also a symbol of our solidarity with our allied partners and a demonstration of our professionalism and determination,” emphasized Brig. Gen. Piotr Iwaszko, Commander of the 1st Tactical Aviation Wing, in his speech.
Support for the 12th UAV Base will be provided by the 10th Opole Logistics Brigade, as announced on social media. The contingent will be stationed at İncirlik Air Base in Turkey’s Adana province.
https://twitter.com/10Brygada/status/1880519760099832219
As part of the previous, 7th rotation of the Polish Military Contingent in Turkey, which began on July 9, 2024, the Naval Aviation Brigade provided the core of the contingent from the 43rd Naval Aviation Base in Gdynia-Babie Doły, deploying a PZL M28 Bryza 1R maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. This deployment was carried out under NATO’s Tailored Assurance Measures for Turkey. According to the decision of the President of Poland on December 18, 2024, the 8th rotation of the PMC Turkey is scheduled to operate until the end of June 2025.
The Polish Military Contingent in Turkey (PMC Turkey) conducts operations related to gathering and exchanging information in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. At the same time, it cooperates with NATO naval task forces to provide support during their entry and presence in the area of responsibility.
The legal basis for PMC Turkey’s operations stems from the provisions outlined in the Initiation Order for the Implementation of Tailored Assurance Measures for Turkey, dated March 4, 2016.
In response to growing security challenges along Turkey’s borders and the willingness of allied nations to support Turkey in this area, the Alliance implemented the Tailored Assurance Measures for Turkey (TAMT) package. Operations under TAMT are based on monitoring and patrolling the southern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions as part of NATO’s comprehensive efforts to build shared situational awareness in the region, given the unstable political and military situation.
The primary tasks of the Polish Military Contingent in Turkey (PMC Turkey) include conducting patrol and reconnaissance flights, transmitting materials and reports from these missions to NATO’s Maritime Command, and following command directives regarding responses to any adversarial disruptions.
Bayraktar TB2
On May 16, 2024, the delivery of four sets of the Bayraktar TB2 reconnaissance and strike unmanned system was completed. Each set includes six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along with three ground control stations, as well as EO/IR sensors, weaponry, and spare parts.
At the 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base, the Command and the Air Operations Group are stationed, also operating two MQ-9A Reaper UAVs leased from the United States. In the future, these will be replaced by three MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs, ordered on December 12, 2024. The Reapers are used for intelligence gathering, specifically imagery intelligence (IMINT) through electro-optical payloads and signals intelligence (SIGINT). Additionally, plans are in place for the acquisition of medium-range UAV systems under the codename “Gryf.”
