Bayraktar drones become less efficient on front due to improved air defence of Russians
The Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, which helped Ukraine achieve military success at the beginning of the war, are not as efficient now since the Russian forces have strengthened their air defence.
Source: Colonel Volodymyr Valiukh, commander in the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in an interview with Defence News
Quote: "For the TB2, I don’t want to use the word useless, but it is hard to find situations where to use them…
We are extremely grateful for the TB2s, but at the beginning of the war they were deployed more and struck more."
Details: Valiukh noted that now that the quality of the Russian air defence and radio-electronic warfare has improved, the latest flight of the TB2 only lasted 30 minutes, even though these drones can stay in the air for more than a day.
Valiukh believes that Bayraktar drones can still be useful, but the frequency of their usage and the missions for this drone type have changed. New tactical restrictions have emerged for them.
Defence News recalls that during the first few weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the TB2 drone produced by the Turkish Baykar company was frequently mentioned in the news. Yet within the course of last year, these drones have gradually disappeared from media space because their usage has become more limited in light of the improved air defence of the Russians.
At the same time, the Baykar company itself explained to Defence News that the statements about the limited effectiveness of its flagship should be treated with a bit of scepticism.
"Not seeing any videos does not necessarily mean that the drones are not being used," CEO Haluk Bayraktar told Defense News.
He noted that the drones are operating in a challenging environment with hundreds of medium- to long-range Russian air defences deployed within rang, but they are still efficient.
"Currently, the Bayraktar TB2s are mainly used to conduct daily flights to track the targets, which can be as valuable as attacking," Bayraktar said.
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