Pakistan takes silver at international military drone competition in Ankara, Captain Talha second among individual pilots
File photo: a quadcopter drone in flight. (Photo: Sandstein / Wikimedia Commons)
ANKARA: Pakistan’s army team has finished second at the first-ever international military drone competition in the Turkish capital, taking home the silver medal from a field of 33 countries. The final of the Best International Military Drone Team Competition (BIMDTC-2026) was held on Saturday at Temelli, on the outskirts of Ankara, where each team had to fly its drones through a course of 23 obstacles.
Hosts Türkiye won the final in 41.417 seconds. Pakistan came next in 50.253 seconds, ahead of Italy in 50.680 and France in 57.142. The competition is built around first-person-view (FPV) flying, in which the pilot steers the drone using a live camera feed, and the judging weighs speed alongside manoeuvring and precision.
### The 44 Signals team, and Captain Talha’s individual silver
Pakistan was represented by a team from the 44 Signals Regiment. Each country could enter up to three people, including at least two FPV pilots. Pakistan’s success did not stop at the team event: Captain Talha finished second among more than 100 international pilots in the individual competition, earning an individual silver medal of his own.
At the awards ceremony, Turkish Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu presented the first-place award to the home team, while Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel handed Pakistan its award. Organised by the Turkish Land Forces, the competition drew military pilots from Europe, Asia and Africa, and ran from October 17 to the October 24 final.
### Why drone flying now matters this much
The organisers set out to test how fast, how precisely and how steadily pilots can handle a drone under pressure. Drones have become central to modern warfare — for reconnaissance, for gathering information and for quick decisions on the battlefield — which is why armed forces everywhere are investing in this particular skill. Pakistan’s team prepared through simulator exercises and practical training designed to sharpen navigation, flight control and precision.
A second-place finish among 33 countries, with an individual silver to match, marks a notable showing for Pakistan’s military drone operators on an international stage.
