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| Turkey Bayraktar TB2 drone in ukraine |
Kiev - The conflict between Russia and Ukraine gets different perspectives from different countries. The Eastern Region prefers to be "neutral" to this condition. The West condemns President Putin's aggression against Ukraine.
As a form of "friendship", Western countries have supplied various kinds of weapons to Ukraine. This can be seen from European countries sending the latest weapons, including anti-tank missiles. This can also be seen from Turkey which sends many Bayraktar TB2 drones there.
The arrival of this unmanned platform is believed to be a “game changer” of war. In early March, the Ukrainian Defense Minister confirmed that Bayraktar TB2 had arrived in his country.
Ukraine is known to have received 6 Bayraktar TB2 units from Turkey before the conflict with Russia occurred. This is because in 2019, Ukraine has already started ordering these drones.
To date, the Ukrainian Air and Navy has received a total of about 20 drones. It should be noted that the TB2 is the only attack drone the country has. The drone was first deployed in October 2021.
At that time, drones were used to destroy 122 mm D-30 separatist artillery in the breakaway Donbass region. The ability of the Bayraktar TB2 drone has proven to be effective against Russian troops and their military assets.
This is not without reason because the TB2 was also an exclusive drone of the United States military. Although not the most advanced drone today, the Bayraktar TB2 is the standard equipment for modern warfare.
In the last two years, Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones appeared not only in Ukraine, but also in Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Libya and Syria.
It is known that the price per unit of Bayraktar is only around one-digit million dollars, making it very salable in the market. In addition, operators are not afraid to deploy it because this drone can be used in even the most serious war conditions.
Ukrainian Domestic Production
Turkish military drone maker Baykar has purchased a plot of land in Ukraine. This is because Ankara wants to produce its unmanned platforms or drones there.
This news was confirmed by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar to the Daily Sabah. The Ukrainian government agreed to a bilateral agreement on the construction of the Bayraktar plant in the country. Engines, wheels or other parts of Ukrainian production could be used in the production of the drones, according to the ambassador.
Baykar also previously said that it would set up a joint training and maintenance center for Turkish attack drones in Ukraine. The memorandum is a step towards joint production of Ukrainian-Turkish drones.
The Bayraktar TB2 drone itself is spearheading Turkey's global defense export push. Quoted from Daily Sabah, this attack drone has flown in the conflicts of Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Karabakh.
As mentioned above, Ukraine had ordered 20 of these drones, even before the war. Bayraktar TB2 also proved to be very helpful for Ukrainian troops against Russia. He had destroyed Moscow's artillery systems and armored vehicles.