Turkey has concluded contracts to sell domestically produced Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) to 16 countries and signed the first export contract for the Bayraktar Akinci UCAVs, Sputnik has quoted Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of the Turkish Baykar technology company, as saying.
"Bayraktar TB2 have successfully completed 420,000 hours, and purchase contracts for them have been concluded with 16 countries. Apart from that, the first export contract was signed regarding the Bayraktar Akinci combat UAV. Supplies under the contract are planned for 2023," Haluk Bayraktar said.
Bayraktar TB2 Tactical Armed / UAV System
Bayraktar TB2 is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE), Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capable to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and armed attacks missions, according to Global Security.
Bayraktar TB2, which can carry 4 MAM-L and MAM-C missiles produced by Roketsan on its wings, has the ability to perform precise targeting with its built-in laser target marker, the Global Security reported. With its 650 kg MTOW and 12 meters wingspan platform powered by an internal combustion engine, Bayraktar is capable of flying at 22,500 feet and loitering for more than 24 hours.
TB2 has proven its efficacy with over 110,000 of operational flight hours. Since 2014, it keeps carrying out missions successfully within the Turkish Armed Forces, Gendarmerie and the Turkish National Police. By the year 2020, some 86 armed Bayraktar platform are employed serving Turkey.
"For a UAV to record a 100,000-hour flight is a significant achievement. Only a few countries achieve this," Selà §uk Bayraktar, the technical manager at Baykar, which produces Bayraktar TB2, said in June 2019. A statement released by Baykar Makina highlighted that the armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Bayraktar TB2 has become the first domestically developed aerial vehicle to log such an extensive flight time. Bayraktar TB2 flew some 5,300 hours during Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin town, the Global Security said adding:
By mid-2019 Turkish security forces had deployed 86 armed Bayraktar TB2 in their military operations at home and abroad since 2014. The Turkish military deployed the Bayraktar TB2 in Operations Hendek (Trench), Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, helping experts achieve operational goals before the planned period and reducing casualties. Baykar Makina's armed drone performed more than 90 percent of all the aerial operations, flying over 5,300 hours. The Bayraktar TB2 playe an important role in the ongoing Operation Claw, launched on 27 May 2019 against the PKK terror group in northern Iraq, as well as in critical tasks in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean as part of Navy Command.
Export to Ukraine
Bayraktar TB2s were exported to Ukraine, which has a 100-year history in aviation and produces the world's largest aircraft, and then to Qatar. In January 2019, Bayraktar signed an agreement with Ukrainian company Ukrspetsproject for the purchase of 12 Turkish Bayraktar TB2s for the Ukrainian army. Bayraktar also signed a deal with Qatar to sell six drones for Qatari forces in March 2018.
As it is known, Baykar-produced Bayraktar TB2s played a key role during the conflict that erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Global Security said. Many experts argue that combat drones gave Azerbaijan the upper hand in both detecting and destroying enemy forces and military equipment, including armoured vehicles, howitzers and Russian-made air defence systems. In footage released by Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, Turkey's drones could be seen destroying tanks, artillery and missiles that the Turkish Bayraktar TB2s demolished with ease.
Moroccan media outlets reported in April 2021 that the country is set to acquire 13 Turkish made Bayraktar TB2 drones in a bid to boost the effectiveness of its armed forces. The sale is expected to be to the tune of $70 million. Morocco was already using American and Israeli drones against the Polisario Front, a renegade militia group fighting for a separate state in the south of the country in a region that is also sometimes known as Western Sahara, according to Global Security.
Turkey advances toward 'fully independent' defense industry
Turkey's defense industry has initiated pivotal projects in recent years under the leadership of the Presidency of Defenses Industries (SSB), covering huge ground on its mission to cut the country's dependency on others and become a major competitor among the world's largest arms exporters.
SSB head Ismail Demir, speaking on the 36th anniversary of the SSB's establishment, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the institution became an official state body during the Republican era after the country faced many internal and external obstacles.
In 1985, when Turgut Ã-zal was prime minister, the Defense Industry Development and Support Administration (SAGEB) was established to develop the domestic defense industry and modernize the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The institution, which later changed its structure and became the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, focused on international joint programs with domestic production and offset projects until the 2000s.
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