TB2 Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles have been used in various warfare scenarios and have proven effective against Russian military equipment.
Ukraine is using Turkish drones TB2 Bayraktar against the Russian advance with great impact. These unmanned aerial vehicles already have a considerable track record of success in clashes with tanks and other Russian combat equipment – they were used to great effect by Azerbaijan against Armenia in 2020, in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, for example, and by Turkey in wars in Syria and Libya, and even by the Ethiopian Government in the war in Tigray. But still, the Russian army was expected to have greater ability to dodge and even disable Turkish drones.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have confirmed that TB2 Bayraktar drones are being used to face the Russian invasion and numerous videos are circulating on social media – although not all are guaranteed to be true – that appear to show military columns or vehicles being destroyed by the explosive charges of the Ukrainian armed forces. TB2 Bayraktar drone.
The history of using TB2 Bayraktar drones has shown that they are effective against unsophisticated adversaries, and it was thought to be different against a modern and well-equipped Russian army. “The Russian military recognized that the Bayraktar drone was a force multiplier for the Ukrainians, but at the same time the Moscow Defense Ministry said that its most advanced electronic warfare, radar detection, and air defense systems would be able to detect and neutralize this drone, so as not to be a threat to forces on the ground,” Sam Bendett, an expert on the Russian army, told Forbes magazine’s website.
The massacre of Armenian (Russian-made) tanks by the Azerbaijani drone fleet, where the TB2 Bayraktar were deployed, in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, was classified primarily as a problem for the Armenian forces by Robert Bateman, a former soldier, and analyst. American, in Foreign Policy magazine. Video from drone cameras shows the tanks clustered together, not dispersing, camouflaging, or using the terrain to protect themselves. “The problem is incompetently trained and equipped forces that have left themselves unprotected,” he said.
This looks like a legitimate video of a Ukrainian TB2 UCAV strike on a Russian military column.https://t.co/rRgeHIGcZP pic.twitter.com/ucmpPvs9sd
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) February 27, 2022
In Ukraine, too, doubts are now being raised about the effectiveness and competence of the preparations for the Russian invasion. It was unable to take control of the skies, or make an effective anti-aircraft defense, or interfere with the radio communication between the drones and their operator in order to prevent their use. Some videos also show Russian military trucks too close together, not spaced apart, which would provide some protection.
Ukraine bought the first six TB2 Bayraktar in 2019. It is a medium-sized vehicle (wing span of 12 meters) that can carry four rounds of up to 150 kg, and has an operational altitude of 18,000 meters, says the website. from the company. Last fall, Ukraine signed a contract with Turkish manufacturer Baykar to buy 24 more of these devices, which are roughly equivalent to the US Predator drone. These new devices were supposed to be delivered “in the next few months”. At the time, plans were also revealed to produce the drone in Ukraine, with a Ukrainian engine.
These acquisitions bothered Moscow – not least because the first time the TB2 Bayraktar drone was used in combat by the Ukrainian army was against Donbass separatists in October. Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the attack in speeches in the autumn to illustrate how Russia’s security was threatened, the New York Times recalls. And in December, he said the Ukrainians’ use of drones was “destructive” and “a provocation.”
Turkish drones have proven decisively crippling against Russian special ops (Wagner in Libya in 2020), Moscow allies (Assad and Armenia, in 2020 again) –and now vice Russia's conventional forces in Ukraine, 2022 https://t.co/WiWc7lVs6W
— Soner Cagaptay (@SonerCagaptay) February 28, 2022
Source: with agencies
