Albania is arming itself seriously

Albania will arm its army with Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger man-portable short-range anti-aircraft defense systems (SHORAD) and Raytheon/Lockheed Martin FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile systems, Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi revealed at a local media conference in Tirana on January 8, B92 reports.

Presenting the achievements of the Albanian Ministry of Defense in 2022 and the goals for 2023, Peleshi said that the recently announced procurement of the unmanned Baykar Bayraktar ​​TB2 system (consisting of three aircraft and an associated ground command station) will provide Albania with exceptional potential in the field of defense and security, especially in combination with the images that will be provided by the satellites "Albania 1" and "Albania 2" carried by the SpaceX Transporter 6 rocket, launched into space on January 4 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Tango Six writes.

This year, cyber security will also receive a higher priority, and to that end, an appropriate operational center will be built, along with the start of the implementation of the project to form a military unit for cyber defense. Also, during the year, delivery of two second-hand medium twin-engine Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters is expected from the US.

When it comes to aviation, Peleshi said that for the needs of the civil protection system, two firefighting planes of the same type that was used by Croatia and Montenegro would be acquired.

Albania's defense budget for 2023 is 28 percent higher than the budget for 2022 and represents 1.85 percent of GDP. Defense Minister Niko Peleshi expressed the goal of reaching 2.10 percent of GDP in 2024 and 2.21 percent in 2025. The trend of continuous increase in the defense budget allows Tirana to take a more serious approach to the modernization process of its army and seriously invest in the main military weapons acquisition.

The acquisition of the Stinger air defense system would allow the re-establishment of Albanian air defense capabilities that currently do not exist because the  HN-5A (Hóng Yīng-5) system is no longer in use - the Chinese version of the Soviet 9K32 Strela-2  portable system (NATO: SA-7 Gral), of which communist Albania acquired 100 pieces back in 1978.

On the other hand, the acquisition of the Javelin anti-tank missile system would allow Albania to modernize its ground forces, which still rely for anti-tank warfare on the outdated portable, reusable, unguided, rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG) Norinco Type 69 85 mm, a lighter Chinese copy of the Soviet RPG-7. Albania also has stockpiles of the locally produced Type-57, itself a clone of the obsolete Soviet RPG-2 that has an 82 mm warhead.

Despite confirming the purchase, Albania did not disclose the value of the contract, delivery dates, and the quantities of Stingers and Javelins it will soon receive from the United States of America.