Since the beginning of the war between Ukraine and Russia, a small drone of Turkish origin has been used by Ukrainians to bring destruction to Russian troops. In fact, this drone is one of the highlights in combat due to its low cost of acquisition and operation compared to the size of the damage it causes. Its name is Bayraktar TB2.
The TB2 is nothing new in the world of military drones. It has gone viral before with the various videos destroying advanced military equipment in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Its first flight took place in 2014 and its development by the manufacturer Baykar Technology was at the request of the Turkish Army, after the positive experience with the Bayraktar TB1 demonstrator.
The name Bayraktar actually refers not to one aircraft, but rather to an entire family of drones of various types. However, among all the – Bayraktar Mini UAV, VTOL UAV, AKINCI and others still in development – the TB2 stands out by far, especially for its combat performance.
What is the TB2 drone
The TB2 is a medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV). It is remotely controlled by three military personnel from a ground control station (GCS, also called shelter), which has the same dimensions as a cargo container. The GCS was also developed by Baykar following the same NATO standard.
The drone is made from composite materials, using aluminum alloys in the most critical parts. This reduces not only the plane's weight, but also its radar signature. In this way, the TB2 is also more difficult to detect by the radars of anti-aircraft missile batteries (SAM), a priority target during combat.
In of dimensions and performance, the Bayraktar TB2 has the following characteristics:
- 6.5 meters long
- Meters 2.2
- 12 meter wingspan
- 27 hours of autonomy
- Maximum speed of 222 km/h
- Maximum altitude of 25 feet
- 150 kg payload
- Maximum takeoff weight of 700 kg
The cost of acquiring a TB2 is around US$ 4 to 5 million. However, the drone has already destroyed much more expensive equipment than itself, such as the Russian Pantsir S1 air defense system. The model was targeted by the TB2 in conflicts in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Armenia and the United Arab Emirates.
The TB2 has four hardpoints (two on each wing) to carry a variety of precision weapons, such as the UMTAS/L-UMTAS anti-tank missile, Bozok guided rockets and Togan 81mm grenades.
Despite the variety of weapons, the most used by the TB2 are the MAM precision bombs (Smart Micro Munition). Developed by Roketsan, the bomb has three variants: MAM-C, L and T, guided by laser and/or GPS and Inertial Navigation. Weight ranges from 6,5 kg to 94 kg, depending on pump type.
The three models can be used by the TB2, with the C and L versions being the most used.
Light, cheap, easy to produce and accurate, the MAM bombs stand out alongside the TB2 in combat, being able to engage stationary or moving targets.
combat employment
According to the Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) portal Oryx, 793 miscellaneous vehicles were confirmed to have been destroyed by TB2 in multiple skirmishes. The list does not count attacks against ammunition depots, troops and military buildings and only cites targets that can be confirmed through photos and videos. That is, the “” of targets destroyed by the Turkish drone should be even higher.
The TB2 first came to prominence in the fighting between Turkey and Kurdistan, where it was used to precisely target PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and YPG (People's Protection Units) troops. The two units are considered terrorist groups by the Turkish government, despite fighting against the Islamic State.
In August 2018, the TB2 was used in a t operation between the intelligence service and the Turkish army, which resulted in the death of PKK leader İsmail Özden.
https://youtu.be/t9K0fhMCTGk
In Libya, the model was responsible for eliminating large concentrations of troops and Pantsir anti-aircraft systems, but some units were also shot down by the SAM. In Syria, TB2 destroyed a huge amount of tanks, infantry fighting armor (IFV), anti-aircraft systems and artillery pieces, acting in conjunction with the advanced Koral electronic warfare system.
In the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Azeri Air Force made extensive use of the TB2 against several Armenian targets. Even in areas “polluted” by electronic warfare systems of Russian origin, such as Avtobaza, Repellen and Groza, the TB2 stood out and was able to engage and destroy the required targets, most of them being artillery positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces.
TB2 in the hands of Ukraine
In Ukraine, the Turkish drone is used by the air force and navy, which acquired 12 and six units in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Since the beginning of Russia's troop buildup on the border in early 2021, the Bayraktar TB2 has been used to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Around 23:57 pm on February 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war against Ukraine on national television. Minutes later, already on the 02th, the massive Russian attack against the neighboring country began, with great use of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and barrages of rockets and artillery.
However, contrary to the vast majority of expectations, Ukraine has been strongly resisting the Russian invasion, causing heavy casualties and capturing troops and vehicles from Putin's army, in addition to shooting down fighter jets and helicopters.
https://youtu.be/nyVmySTUkxs
At least 30 vehicles and artillery pieces lost by the Russians and the self-proclaimed Republic of Donetsk were destroyed by Ukrainian TB2s, again using MAM bombs.
In addition to actual combat, the TB2 is also used by Ukraine in the propaganda and information war against Russia, through the dissemination of videos of the drone attacking Russian troops.
Байрактари в рoті. Наші оператори ювелірно криють колони ворожих військ. Знищено російський БУК в районі Малина Житомирської області.
Бійтеся, вороги! Не буде вам спокою на нашій землі!https://t.co/P5feWTB8 pic.twitter.com/dH2UEUbKST— Inside the Armed Forces of Ukraine (@Inside_the_AFU) February 27, 2022
Revolutionary
The TB2 has been standing out since the fighting in Libya, but with the conflict between the Azerbaijanis and the Armenians, the Turkish Bayraktar has come to be considered a gamechanger in combat. As Oryx observes, the aircraft “changed the notion of how modern conflicts are being fought.”
Light and cheap, the TB2 destroyed advanced systems and equipment, multiple times more expensive than its own acquisition cost, even if we add precision bombs. Furthermore, its low radar signature (despite not being a completely stealth aircraft) allows the TB2 to seek out and engage anti-aircraft battery systems. This week a Russian BUK M1 was destroyed by a Ukrainian TB2.
Video of a Ukrainian TB2 strike on a Russian Buk-M1-2 9A310M1-2 TELAR in Zhytomyr Oblast. pic.twitter.com/obZ6rEHDSA
- Rob Lee (@ RALee85) February 28, 2022
"The TB2's performance in the face of these systems, designed to completely deny the air forces of the most advanced nations the ability to function, marked a watershed moment in the history of modern warfare", says the portal about the performance of the drone in places with a large presence of electronic warfare systems.
In addition to being able to attack its own targets, Bayraktar can spend hours over a point of interest, undetected. And even if it's not carrying weapons, it can guide other bombs or precision missiles to their target.
Bayraktar TB2 нейтралізував 🇷🇺 військовий ешелон із пальним
Let's win together! pic.twitter.com/1neR5Tapvq— Inside the Armed Forces of Ukraine (@Inside_the_AFU) February 28, 2022
The economic disparity between the drone and the targets it was able to shoot down makes it even clearer that even the most expensive systems – capable of destroying high-value fighter jets – are vulnerable to much cheaper unmanned aircraft.
The performance of Bayraktar TB2 in the hands of Ukraine also boosts the morale of the troops and population fighting Russia at the moment. As in the case of urban legend of the ace called the Ghost of Kiev, netizens have already created memes about the UCAV and its positive participation in the war.
So far there is no confirmation that any of these Ukrainian drones have been engaged and destroyed by Russian troops, which only adds to their fame among those following the war in Eastern Europe and those who are experiencing it. On the other hand, it also serves as a great ment for the product of Baykar Tech.
