Whatever happens with the Turkish Bayraktar, the conflict in Ukraine has already made clear that “drone warfare” is an integral part of all warfare now. Both sides are making new and innovative uses of unmanned aerial vehicles, both the expensive big-ticket drones sent by Western governments and cheap off-the-shelf models adapted for war. This is not to say that drones are no longer playing a major role in the war. Since then, they’ve been increasingly pretty useless on the front lines.” “The TB2s were highly effective in the first two or three weeks of the invasion, until the Russians basically got their air defense system coordination in order. “The picture has changed a great deal,” Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for airpower and technology at the Royal United Services Institute, told Grid. Since April, when the war shifted to a grinding, artillery-heavy war of attrition in the eastern part of Ukraine, the Russians have set up advanced air defense systems, rendering drones - even the much-hyped TB2 - far less effective. In the early days of the war, Russian troops often moved in isolated units and columns, with little or no air support, making them easy pickings for the drones.

According to the Oryx blog, which uses open-source reports to track equipment losses on both sides, the TB2 has taken out six Russian armored vehicles, five artillery systems, six naval ships and more than a dozen missile systems, among other targets.īut the TB2′s days as a wonder weapon are probably numbered. The hype surrounding the Bayraktar is earned.

Orders from militaries around the world are pouring in. The company ended up giving Ukraine the drone and donating the money to Ukraine relief efforts.īeyond the TB2′s battlefield successes, the war has been an incredible advertisement for the drone, produced by a government-linked company owned by the Turkish president’s son-in-law. Russian bandits are made into ghosts by … Bayraktar!”) Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Telegram that a baby lemur born at the city zoo had been named “Bayraktar.” In Lithuania, a crowdsourcing campaign raised $6.4 million in three days to purchase a TB2 for Ukraine. (Sample lyrics: “They wanted to invade us with force, and we took offense at these orcs. In early March, the catchy song “ Bayraktar” by Ukrainian soldier Taras Borovok appeared on YouTube, quickly becoming a viral hit and inspiring countless cover versions. Ukrainians - and the rest of the world - took notice. Grainy videos began appearing on social media with stunning regularity, showing attacks on Russian military columns and armored vehicles. The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, an intimidating-looking flying death machine with a 12-meter wingspan that carries up to four laser-guided bombs, began its ascent to icon status in the opening days of the war. The first war hero of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine invasion may have been a killer robot.

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