Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Saturday inaugurated the country’s first domestically produced drone, named Skifteri, developed by the local company Future Minds Academy in the eastern city of Gjilan.
In a Facebook post, Kurti described the event as a milestone in building Kosovo’s defence and drone manufacturing industry.
“We are building the future of the defence industry and the development of combat drones here in Kosovo,” Kurti said. “Our country is becoming a producer. In Gjilan, together with Mayor Hyseni, we visited the companies manufacturing the military drone Skifteri and civilian drones from Future Minds Academy and MIGA SkyShield MAR.”
Kurti said the K1 kamikaze drone can reach speeds of up to 180 km/h and altitudes of 2,500 metres, while the Skifteri model can fly as high as 5,000 metres with an operational range of 20 km and a top speed of 270 km/h.
He added that Kosovo has already invested in defence by purchasing Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones, Puma surveillance drones, and Skydagger kamikaze drones from allied countries.
“Now we are also producing combat drones ourselves,” Kurti said. “As a government, at both central and local levels, we will continue to support the development of domestic capacities and production, and we will not halt investments in defence and security.”