Insight: Is the Bayraktar TB2 UAV living up to expectations?
The TB2 has been widely used in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh and a number of border and counter-insurgency conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. (Photo: Baykar)
Sold to well over 20 countries and combat-proven in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine and elsewhere, the Bayraktar TB2 has been an export success for its Turkish manufacturer. Shephard Defence Insight analyses the aircraft's design and capabilities and reviews in depth who is buying it and why.
Snapshot
The Bayraktar TB2, or Bayraktar-2, is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV developed and manufactured by Baykar. The platform can conduct ISR and armed attack missions and has a payload capacity of 150kg.
Several customers operate the platform. Azerbaijan used the UCAV extensively in the 2020 Armenia−Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine utilised it effectively following Russia's invasion on 24 February 2022.
Additional information
Development & Production
How many TB2s can be built in a year?
According to Haluk Bayraktar, in September 2022, Baykar could manufacture 200 Bayraktar TB2s a year. However, due to the platform's success in the export
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