Albania to acquire advanced artillery and drones from Israeli firm Elbit Systems
Albania is set to receive a significant boost in its military capabilities through a new arms agreement with Israeli defense company Elbit Systems, which will supply advanced artillery and tactical drone systems. The deal was reported by Haaretz, citing official sources.
Why is this important: This marks a major step in Albania’s effort to modernize its defense infrastructure, deepen its strategic ties with Israel, and develop its domestic military industry through cooperation with state-owned company KAYO.
Context: According to Haaretz, the deal signed between the governments of Israel and Albania includes:
- ATMOS 155mm howitzers, truck-mounted self-propelled artillery
- SPEAR 120mm mortars
- Magni-X and Thor tactical drones
While the total value of the agreement has not been disclosed, similar artillery systems can cost up to $5 million each. The first phase will deliver 10 drones, after which Elbit will assist Albania in establishing domestic production and assembly lines for both drones and artillery systems.
The partnership builds on a defense cooperation memorandum signed in July between Tirana and Tel Aviv, and will be insured by ASHRA, Israel’s state export credit agency.
System capabilities: The Magni-X drones are backpack-portable and fully autonomous, designed to operate even under heavy GPS signal jamming. They can carry up to 1.5 kg of payload, including day-night cameras and sensors, with a flight time of up to 60 minutes. These drones are already in use by the British and Austrian militaries.
The Thor drone can handle payloads up to 15 kg and can be equipped with photo-surveillance tools or the TerminaTHOR system, capable of dropping five mini-bombs mid-air.
The agreement is expected to strengthen not only Albania’s military readiness, but also its industrial defense base, aligning with broader ambitions for regional security cooperation and technological development.
Go deeper
PM departs for Rome ahead of Albania-Italy intergovernmental summit
Published on November 12, 2025
Why is this important: The summit marks a strategic shift in the Albania-Italy relationship, upgrading ties through shared projects in energy, defense, infrastructure, environment, and labor mobility. One key agreement includes a new underwater power line to export renewable energy from Albania to Italy.
Albania to open final EU negotiation cluster at intergovernmental conference on November 17
Published on November 12, 2025
Why is this important: The milestone means that Albania will have opened all EU accession clusters within just 12 months — a feat Prime Minister Edi Rama called a “record” in the history of European integration. The rapid pace significantly strengthens Albania’s goal to complete technical negotiations by 2027 and become a full EU member by 2030.
Albania joins Israel Allies Group, signaling bipartisan support for Israel
Published on November 11, 2025
Why is this important: The formation of the group signals rare cross-party unity in Albania and deepens its alignment with Israel on diplomatic and interfaith grounds — particularly notable for a Muslim-majority country. The move has been widely covered in Israeli media as an expansion of faith-based diplomacy in the Balkans.