- For its role in the Nagorno Karabakh war and now in Ukraine, the TB2 drone has attracted worldwide attention.
- Baykar, the Turkish company that builds the TB2, has revealed that there is a three-year waiting list.
- Here are the reasons why the TB2 is so effective on the battlefield.
The TB2 has become a legend The CEO of Turkey’s Baykar was last month Defense firmAccording to a Ukrainian foundation, the demand for their top-of-the line TB2 drones has soared to such an extent that there is now a three year waitlist to buy it.
Haluk Bayraktar, a defense company, stated that it can only produce 20 TB2 drones per month. However, the foundation plans to build a new facility to expand that production.
The TB2 recently received a new update Gained notorietyFor its role in countering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Numerous videos and reports have been circulated demonstrating the drone’s effectiveness in supporting Ukrainian resistance.
Without the TB2, Ukraine could lose its defensive advantage over Russia.
What is the special thing about the TB2 drone?
Press Office of Ukraine President / Mykola Lararenko Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Baykar is a world-famous weapon manufacturer. In the 1980s, Ozdemir Bayraktar founded Baykar.
In the early 2000s, the company began prioritizing the production of unmanned aircraft as a complement to Turkish defense efforts. In 2007, the TB2 was developed and the Turkish military chose the drone in 2014. During this period, the TB2 started to gain prominence. CounterinsurgencyOperations against People’s Defense Units, Kurdish Workers’ Partie militants in northern Iraq or Syria
The history of TB2 was described in a New Yorker article. It said that “Turkey’s remote-controlled counterinsurgency is thought to have been the first time a country has conducted a drone campaign on citizens on its soil. But Bayraktar, citing terrorism as a threat, continues to be a passionate supporter of this campaign.”
Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
The TB2 is about the size of a small airplane. FeaturesA collection of high-resolution cameras. Many social media platforms have shared aerial videos of Russian drones striking targets. These videos have increased Ukraine’s propaganda efforts.
Additionally, the drone has a Rotax-912 internal combustion engine which allows it to reach speeds up to 138 mph. The drone can reach an elevation of approximately 1,048 feet. 27,000 feetThe range is 93 miles, with a 27-hour operational endurance.
Three ground data terminals and ground support equipment are included in each TB2. There are also two remote video terminals. Perhaps most significant, all of the drone’s parts — including its digital flight-control system — are ManufacturedTurkey
Because of its numerous capabilities, the TB2 is a highly exportable weapon. The drone is now available in 13 countries. Although the TB2 is well-known for its role as a drone in Ukraine, it also assisted the Azerbaijani military with the 2020 elections. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
History of TB2 in Ukraine
Ukrainian Military
The TB2 has many advanced attributes that make it highly effective against Russian equipment in Ukraine. Indeed, Russian President Vladimir Putin DenouncedTurkey’s sale to Ukraine of TB2s before the invasion. Putin was furious at the Turkish company’s decision not to supply TB2s to Ukraine, since Moscow and Ankara have close relations in a number of sectors.
A few months before the conflict, Turkey’s foreign minister asked Kyiv not to mention his country in discussions about drone imports. According to ForbesMevlut Cavusoglu stated that “If a country purchases a weapon from us, or another country then that weapon cannot being labeled as Turkish.”
Turkish officials have repeatedly defended the sale of TB2 drones from Turkey to Ukraine before war, noting Baykar is a private firm and not government-owned.
Last week, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of armed forces was appointed ClaimTwo TB2 drones severely damaged or destroyed $28.35million worth of Russian military equipment.
On Facebook, the commander posted that eight T-72 tanks were destroyed and that an Acacia self-propelled guns was also damaged. He said that five more T-72 tanks were damaged and another infantry fighting vehicle was also destroyed by the drones.
Maya CarlinShe is a Middle East defense editor at 19FortyFive. She is also an analyst at the Center for Security Policy, and was a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow in IDC Herzliya. Her bylines have appeared in numerous publications, including The National Interest and Jerusalem Post as well as Times of Israel.
