As a part of its military modernization program,
the Armed Forces of Ukraine acquired 12 Bayraktar TB2s from Turkey in 2019.
After the successful use of the aircraft, the Ukrainian Navy ordered a separate set
of 5 additional Bayraktar TB2s, delivered in 2020 according to navy officials.
During a Russian military buildup in Crimea and near Ukraine’s borders,
a Bayraktar TB2 conducted a reconnaissance flight over the Donbas region on 9 April 2021.
This was the first operation of the drone in an active conflict zone.
In October 2021, a Bayraktar TB2 drone was used for the first time in combat during the war,
targeting a Russian separatist artillery position,
destroying a D-30 howitzer, and halting the bombardment of Ukrainian troops near Hranitne.
When Ukraine deployed Bayraktar TB2 after the Russian invasion began on Feb 24,
its effectiveness became clear.
But in the last few months reports emerged that the losses of this drone were mounting.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes if Bayraktar TB2 is still playing a
significant role in Ukraine ? Let's get into the details.
Several experts indicated that Russian was adopting and as part of that it is in a better
position to counter the Turkish Drone. It was claimed that Russian air defenses
were now better optimized and tactics were reworked to mitigate the threat from TB2.
Several footage of downed TB2 also emerged.
The narrative was given more credibility when Ukraine’s President Zelensky said in
April that Turkish attack drones "Bayraktar" do not play a decisive role in the war with Russia.
He has stated, "With all due respect, those or other drones can help,
but do not affect the result. Because there is a history of missiles, artillery, air defense"
The actual situation in the conflict zone seems to be different
Ukrainian military official Valery Zaluzhny has revealed that a pair of Turkish-made Bayraktar
TB2 drones have neutralized $26.5 million of Russian military assets in just three days.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
the tactical drones severely damaged eight Russian T-71 tanks and one Acacia self-propelled gun.
They also neutralized several infantry fighting vehicles and
artillery systems between August 31 and September 2.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat
aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous
flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish Company Baykar Defence,
primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces and is developed from TB1
The aircraft is monitored and controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station,
including weapons employment, via Türksat satellite.
The development of the UAV has been largely credited to Selçuk Bayraktar, a
former MIT graduate student, and son-in-law of President Erdogan.
The standard payload configuration includes an electro-optical (EO) camera module, an
infrared (IR) camera module, a laser designator, a laser range finder (LRF) and a laser pointer.
The UAV has a range of more than 150 km or around 95 miles and can fly at a maximum altitude of
27,030ft. It has a maximum speed of about 225 kph or around 140 mph and an endurance of 27 hours.
It has 4 hard-points for different types of weapons like Long Range Anti-tank Missile System,
Laser-Guided Rockets as well as very potent KUZGUN Modular
joint ammunition which depending on variant can reach a range of 245 km or 150 miles.
Ukraine has been using physiological warfare pretty effectively. It seems President Zelensky's
specific statement regarding the Bayraktar TB2 may have been part of an elaborate deception campaign.
In Aug, Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of Turkish defense firm Baykar,
said in an interview with Ukraine's Come Back Alive foundation that the company currently
has the manufacturing capacity to build twenty of its Bayraktar TB2 drones a month,
but wants to up that with a new facility in Ukraine, which it agreed to build last year.
Baykar has already purchased a plot of land in Ukraine for production of the TB2,
the Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said, the Ukrainian media reported.
If the platform was ineffective,
Ukraine would have never wanted to have a facility built in the country.
The shreds of evidence from both tactical as well as strategic levels indicate that TB2 is giving
a hard time to Russia and Ukraine expects it to play a significant role in the foreseeable future.