For the second time this year, there are serious concerns that Russia is on the verge of invading
Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of Russian troops are now positioned along Ukraine's border, raising
alarm across the West.
Ukraine's president on Friday claimed to have uncovered a coup plot involving Russians.
The situation is tense and the world is trying to guess what will be Russian President Vladimir
Putin's next step.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently told reporters,
"We don't know what President Putin's intentions are, but we do know what's happened in the
past".
In this scenario, an asymmetric weapon available to Ukraine is likely to play a key role.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Ukraine's Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone
could be a source of major trouble for Russian forces attempting an invasion?
Let's get into the details.
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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.
Bayraktar means "ensign" or "standard-bearer" in Turkish.
The development of the UAV has been largely credited to Selçuk Bayraktar, a former MIT
graduate student, and son-in-law of President Erdogan.
While the Turkish Armed Forces describe Bayraktar TB2 as a "Tactical UAV Class" to prevent it
from being a competitor to the TAI Anka UAV, international standards would classify it
as a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV.
As of 26 November 2021, the TB2 drone completed 400,000 flight hours globally.
Bayraktar TB2 features a monocoque design integrating an inverse v-tail structure.
The fuselage is made of carbon fiber, Kevlar and hybrid composites, whereas the joint segments
constitute precision computer numerical control (CNC) machined Aluminium parts.
The UAV has a length of 6.5m, a wingspan of 12m and a maximum take-off weight of 650kg
or 1435 lbs
It has a redundant flight control system that allows autonomous taxi, take-off, navigation,
landing and parking operations without assistance from any external sensor.
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 power plant integrates a 100hp internal combustion engine driving a two-bladed variable
pitch propeller.
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 hardpoints for laser-guided smart munition, with provisions to carry combinations
of :
1.
L-UMTAS which is a Long Range Anti-tank Missile System
2. MAM which is precision-guided munitions
3. Roketsan Cirit 70 mm Missile System
4. BOZOK Laser-Guided Rockets
5. TOGAN Air-to-surface launched 81 mm mortar munition
6. KUZGUN Modular joint ammunition which has two variants Free Soaring - having a range
of 110 km or around 70 miles and Turbojet Motor equipped one - having a range of 245
km or 150 miles.
As a part of its military modernization program, the Armed Forces of Ukraine acquired 12 Bayraktar
TB2s in 2019.
After the successful use of the aircraft, the Ukrainian Navy had ordered a separate
set of 5 additional Bayraktar TB2s, delivered in 2020 according to navy officials.
Meanwhile, Turkish and Ukrainian officials have announced the establishment of a joint
venture to produce 48 additional Bayraktar TB2s in Ukraine.
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 operationalization of the aircraft by the Ukrainian Forces within 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.
In recent years, Turkey has achieved several tactical and strategic victories against Russia.
In Syria, Turkish drones took out 73 Syrian armed vehicles with limited losses.
In Libya, Turkish drones destroyed Russian air defense systems, turning the tide of war
in favor of the Libyan government.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkish drones and Turkish strategic aid to Azerbaijan dealt a crippling
blow to the Armenian army.
As evident, the Turkish military tactics and drones have been very effective against Russian
forces.
Even Ukraine has been successful in using it against Russia in a limited time span.
Bayraktar drones have been praised for their achievements by even non-Turkish authorities.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and American political science author Francis Fukuyama
praised the platform and its systems.
All indicators point to the fact that Bayraktar TB2 is poised to feature extensively in Ukraine's
defensive endeavors.