Advancements and Deployment of Turkish UAVs: A Strategic Overview

What an amazingly perfectly executed strike! Sea skimming attack with toss bombing is a complex thing to achieve successfully. The high speed pass adding complexity. Do we really see dumb bombs being delivered here (without even a braking/ballute kit)?
Notice how the wingman didn't get fragged.

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Combat-Master said:
Been a while, let's get up-to-date with Ukraine-Russia situation concerning Ukraine's use of Bayraktar TB2

Su-27 striking Russian facilities on the Snake Island in the Black Sea, captured by a TB-2 drone.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1523027490230444035
View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1523027490230444035?s=20&t=IzSlPU98lxZoQbl5cCJPbw


TB2 targeting Russian landing craft which was carrying Russian TOR-M2 air defence system
https://twitter.com/x/status/1522897994701549573
View: https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1522897994701549573?s=20&t=IzSlPU98lxZoQbl5cCJPbw
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Before Ukrainian Su-27 attacked targets on Snake Island, TB2 took out some AIrdefences on the Island.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1522674375295700993
View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1522674375295700993?s=20&t=Sbn_iI-fU5I6ryTJF17Pxg
 
Weird place to set up an AD system, its radar FoV hemmed in by buildings (one of them a lighthouse!) on three sides. May not have been operational at the time of the strike.
 
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Turkey's Aselsan have delivered 31 CATS E/O to date and completed 1,000 live firings with various laser guided munitions. Production rate to increase in coming months - Source, Aselsan's 2021 Annual report
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ANKA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which has signed an export agreement with Kazakhstan, paved the way for production in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, will become the first production base of ANKA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle outside of Turkey, an important step has been taken towards training human resources in this field and improving Kazakhstan's UAV production capability.

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Curious to see, how relatively small and young company from Turkey succesfully enters "club" of world-class UAV-producers. Moreover, their products show different achievements in real combat.
 
Baykar has export agreements with 26 countries. It is actively used in 13 of them.

Bayraktar TB2 is an armed unmanned aerial vehicle exported to the most countries in the world.

More than 95% of our revenues come from exports.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1524363052619022336
View: https://twitter.com/TyrannosurusRex/status/1524363052619022336?s=20&t=W9tjvBuyPeBf9Nc-8zbj_A


The export price of our products is several times the price of the Turkish Armed Forces. Despite this, products with the best price / performance ratio in the world.

Baykar is one of the 2-3 largest drone companies in the world.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524363054359715840
View: https://twitter.com/TyrannosurusRex/status/1524363054359715840?s=20&t=W9tjvBuyPeBf9Nc-8zbj_A
 
I was just thinking about the tactical role that the TB-2 actually do.

I think what TB-2 does is neutralize shoot and scoot. Many ground forces works by the logic of short emissions and immediate movement afterwards to avoid counter fire. This applies to radars, jammers, and artillery.

With persistent long range yet narrow field of view sensors, any long range detectable event would have such sensors directed on it, tracking opponents out of that.

What this basically means is that Radar SHORAD with weapons range shorter than TB-2 sensor range near the front would eventually get tracked unless kept in reserve completely. Attempts at hiding after being tracked does not work, as cases of Pantsirs hit while under buildings and Tors blown up in garages attests. Other weapons like MRLS is also the logical target for such a system, as the destruction of Smerch in Armenia shows.

Long range optical sensors are just far cheaper than things like hypersonic munitions for hitting shoot and scoot opponents, weather permitting.

Even when long range munitions is unavailable, just keeping tabs on opponent long range high value assets can be quite useful.
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Ground forces will need to adapt tactically with the understanding that rear line emissions will be tracked in good weather and one need planned post emissions maneuver to make TB-2 lose track.
 
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Combat-Master said:
ANKA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which has signed an export agreement with Kazakhstan, paved the way for production in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, will become the first production base of ANKA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle outside of Turkey, an important step has been taken towards training human resources in this field and improving Kazakhstan's UAV production capability.

View attachment 677898
Click to expand...
Kazakhstan Air Force - TAI ANKA-S UCAV
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Interesting. The Turkish industry is then going head on with GA's MQ-9B STOL kit.
 
Since Canadian Embargo on Wescam E/O to Turkey;

“CATS a reconnaissance surveillance system capable of thermal imaging, laser designating and tracking targets day and night. CATS can be used for both rotary-wing systems and fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems. Last year We put it into use for the first time. As of this date, more than 40 units have been delivered. Our serial production continues, we are currently producing 6 units per month, we are trying to increase this to 10. We are also developing more advanced versions, and they will soon be put it into service soon."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXM0fALuvVY
 
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Hundreds of Lithuanians have crowdfunded the purchase of a military grade drone for Ukraine to use as it defends itself against Russia’s invasion.

A target of €5m (£4.3m) was met within just three and a half days as Lithuanians rushed to donate funds to help another country formerly under Moscow’s rule.

Most donations were made in small amounts to buy the Byraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle from Turkey.

The crowdfunder was organised by Laisves TV, which said it would transfer the funds to Lithuania’s defence ministry, which will buy the drone and its munitions for Ukraine.


It is a remarkable demonstration of the strength of feeling from the people of Lithuania, a former Soviet-ruled country with a population of little over 2.8 million.
Click to expand...
www.independent.co.uk

Lithuanians crowdfund £4.3m to buy military grade drone for Ukraine

‘It’s the third month of the invasion… it’s important to avoid getting used to it,’ says Lithuanian PM
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
 
Selcuk Bayraktar;
"Bayraktar TB2 UCAV production capacity has increased to 200 per year."
"The first flights of KIZIELMA and Bayraktar TB3 will take place next year."
https://twitter.com/x/status/1531357448585596928
View: https://twitter.com/SavunmaSanayiST/status/1531357448585596928?s=20&t=LURkWCDzbpgV7gFzv-NUmw

www.euractiv.com

After Ukraine, 'whole world' is a customer for Turkish drone, maker says

Ukraine's destruction of Russian artillery systems and armoured vehicles with Turkish Bayraktar TB2 aerial drones has made "the whole world" a customer, according to its designer.
www.euractiv.com www.euractiv.com
 
Flyaway said:
Article about the maritime optimised TB3.

www.forbes.com

Will Turkey's Upcoming Bayraktar TB3 Naval Drone Also Become An Export Success?

Turkey isn't just content with building TB3s for its shiny new flagship. It hopes to export these drones to other countries as it has done with the TB2.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
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It's not just maritime optimised it will also be STOL UCAV taking off and landing on rough fields.
It'll be tough animal to find and take out while on the ground just because of increased landing and take-off capability and folding wings.

One of the important aspects of TB3 not in the article, it's engine will be sourced from Turkish manufacturer TEI;


^ diesel aviation engine has three types, each type optimised for service ceiling and take-off weight.

So TB3 will be highly configurable.
 
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What is actually being done for STOL operations? I haven't seen anything on high lift wing or greater power.
 
Combat-Master said:
Lithuanians collecting money to buy a BAYRAKTAR for Ukraine. 1 Million Euros were collected thus far with a goal of 5 Million euros required

Lithuania's Minister of National Defence;
https://twitter.com/x/status/1529550221432299523
View: https://twitter.com/a_anusauskas/status/1529550221432299523?s=20&t=e2GPiqpn1pP3UdrjI1xHfQ
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And so Lithuanians buy a drone for Ukraine, wonder if is one from Turkeys inventory..
https://twitter.com/x/status/1532045537410789376
View: https://twitter.com/a_anusauskas/status/1532045537410789376?s=20&t=5ozGJQI3XLjXqiGiVP52gw
 
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Combat-Master said:
Combat-Master said:
Lithuanians collecting money to buy a BAYRAKTAR for Ukraine. 1 Million Euros were collected thus far with a goal of 5 Million euros required

Lithuania's Minister of National Defence;
https://twitter.com/x/status/1529550221432299523
View: https://twitter.com/a_anusauskas/status/1529550221432299523?s=20&t=e2GPiqpn1pP3UdrjI1xHfQ
Click to expand...
And so Lithuanians buy a drone for Ukraine, wonder if is one from Turkeys inventory..
https://twitter.com/x/status/1532045537410789376
View: https://twitter.com/a_anusauskas/status/1532045537410789376?s=20&t=5ozGJQI3XLjXqiGiVP52gw
Click to expand...
Interesting line of events, on the crowd sourced UCAV. So Turkey is giving the drone for free, some money will go toward the munition costs and the rest to hopefully humanitarian needs.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1532314210872459264
View: https://twitter.com/a_anusauskas/status/1532314210872459264?s=20&t=vkcbB-JT_IpJbv4QRkQjjA

And the image that seals the gift, note right corner Turkey's jet powered UCAV Kizilelma has some paint on it
1654168991975.png
https://twitter.com/x/status/1532318260833705984
View: https://twitter.com/BaykarTech/status/1532318260833705984?s=20&t=pz2sGijYFFIcQrMcvbwhFg
 
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Not a heat seeking missile
Not probably a2a or aaa gunnery
No trace of frags

Damages could have been the result of a crash. That does not exclude the result of an electronic/cyber attack.
 

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