The Defence Ministry has declined to disclose details of the drones purchased through an MVR 560 million agreement signed with a Turkish company to patrol Maldivian waters.
The drones are currently at Maafaru Airport. A video showing the flight of drones emerged on social media yesterday. The airport hanger was temporarily handed over as a garage to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to operate the drones.
The government agreed to buy the drones from a Turkish company with USD 37 million (MVR 569.8 million) from the state contingency budget.
The Defence Ministry refused to provide details of the agreement when Adhadhu requested for the information under the Right to Information Act.
"The details of such equipment added to the defense forces cannot be disclosed as it may interfere with the fulfillment of the responsibility entrusted to the MNDF," the ministry's response read.
The ministry also declined to provide further details on the drones and the company that built them.
Meanwhile, a special event will be held in Maafaru on Friday to launch the operation of drones to monitor the Maldivian waters.
