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| Bayraktar TB2 |
Militarymedia.net - The Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle. It was developed by baykar makina company. It is a medium altitude attack drone, which has long durability. It can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance and ground attacks. Development began in 2007. It made its first flight in 2009. In the same year, it was selected by the Turkish military. It was adopted by the Turkish military in 2014. Bayraktar TB2 was widely used by the Turkish military during the conflicts in Syria and Lybia. The drone reportedly destroyed a number of Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 short-range air defense systems. By 2020, it will fly more than 200,000 hours. This is a Turkish aviation industry record. These attack drones are exported to Ukraine. Deliveries begin in 2019.
The armed drone is powered by a single Rotax 912 engine that produces 105 hp of power. It can travel at a maximum speed of more than 220 km. The maximum range is 6,000 km. It can reach an altitude of 8.2 km. This drone has a 24-hour wandering time.
All essential components of this Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), including flight control systems, INS-GPS, automatic takeoff and landing systems are manufactured in Turkey. In 2009 during the trials the drone demonstrated automated taxis, takeoffs, cruising flights, landings, parking.
These attack drones can carry a maximum payload of 65 kg. It can carry 4 MAM-C or MAM-L missiles. The missile is specifically designed for UAV and low-payload light attack aircraft. These missiles have laser guidance and can strike stationary or moving targets. Mam-C has a high warhead, while MAM-L has a thermotreated warhead.
Bayraktar TB2 proved to be very effective in Turkish military service. This attack drone made its name as the Turkish Pantsir killer. During military action in Syria and Libya, the drone reportedly destroyed a number of Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 short-range air defense systems. Although some of these drones are also lost due to enemy fire.
In 2020 during the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the unmanned aerial combat vehicle was successfully deployed by Azerbaijani forces to cripple Armenia's Osa-AKM air defense system. It turns out that these attack drones are tough nuts for ageing air defense systems.
The cost of the Bayraktar TB2 unit is about $5 Million.
