Artem Budrin13:25, 05/29/23
The Russians launched a struggle against them, but at first it was very difficult for the invaders.
In the first months of a full-scale invasion, Bayraktar TB2 drones were often used by the Ukrainian military, but recently they have practically disappeared from the battlefield.
As analyst and expert on unmanned and robotic military systems of the Center for Naval Analysis Samuel Bendett told Insider , in 2022, almost all UAVs were shot down, and the rest perform only reconnaissance tasks.
“The general assessment of drones like the TB2 is that they work well without sophisticated anti-aircraft and electronic defenses. As a relatively slow and low-flying UAV, it can be targeted by a number of well-organized air defense systems – we have seen this in Libya and Nagorno Karabakh,” Bendett said.
The expert notes that Russia at the beginning of a full-scale invasion was vulnerable to Bayraktar attacks, but over time it adapted to fight them. The occupiers improved the means of electronic warfare and set up their air defense in the right way.
“Once the Russian military got together, they were able to shoot down a lot of TB2s,” Bendett said.
Last year, Ukraine said it had received 50 Bayraktar TB2 drones since the start of the Russian invasion, but by the end of 2022 they had largely disappeared from the battlefield.
Bendett notes that Bayraktars are not yet used for attacks, but for intelligence purposes, yes. According to him, Ukrainian forces are using the “advanced optics and sensors” of the UAV to guide other drones for attacks while remaining out of range of Russian air and electronic warfare systems.
Bayraktar TB2 drones: worth knowing
Last fall, the management of Baykar announced that they were ready to build infrastructure in Ukraine for the construction of UAVs even in war conditions.
The project was conceived before February 2022, and the company does not abandon its plans. In February of this year, the head of the National Security and Defense Council, Alexei Danilov, explained why there was no video evidence of the work of the Bayraktars. This is due to the fact that such information has ceased to be advertised.
(C)UNIAN 2023
Seeing as how this could be awkward for Ukraine to admit, I think it’s a good testament to their honesty. I pray there’s another good alternative, which understandably, should be kept secretive until it’s ready for deployment, whether in a few strategic locations, or widespread throughout most of the Ukrainian Military.
Bayraktar has had many interestingly noteworthy contributions to a dynamic battlefield including a supporting role in the sinking of the “moskva” and battles for “Snake” Island. Now what the AFU have, appear to be doing more recon functions, and their exploits aren’t as widely publicized or documented. Turkey has made many leaps forward in combat drones, unsure if Ukraine is still purchasing from them or when newer models will be more available to Ukraine. Domestic UAV production has improved and expanded exponentially contributing to a huge range in the AFU tool kit with a broad spectrum of capabilities.
Tribute to “Bayraktar” along with some other footage: