Turkish drones Bayraktar TB2 in the Ukrainian army
In the early spring of 2019, tests of a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle were conducted in the skies over the Zhytomyr and Khmelnitsky regions. As noted by P. Poroshenko, who at that time served as head of state, the tests were successful.
Agreement for the purchase of Turkish military drones, we recall, was signed in early November last year during the visit of the head of the Ukrainian state to Turkey. According to the terms of the contract, it was assumed that 6 combat vehicles, two control stations and two hundred controlled missiles. In addition, the supply of a set of spare parts, personnel training and service maintenance were provided. The cost of this contract was estimated at 69 million dollars.
The Ukrainian and Turkish sides were negotiating on supplies drones for several years, during this time period, Ukrainian representatives of the military department visited Turkey, getting acquainted with the various stages of testing the drone.
This is a Turkish-made operational-tactical drone equipped with a Rotax 912 internal combustion engine with a capacity of 100 horsepower. The body of the device is equipped with an automatic take-off and landing system and is made of composite materials. Drone is able to carry aviation bombs and anti-tank guided missiles. In length, the device reaches 6,5 meters, wingspan - 12 meters. It can reach speeds of up to 222 km / h, while cruising speed is 130 km / h. The range of Bayraktar TB2 is 150 kilometers. The drone is capable of carrying a load of up to 50 kg.
Turkish drone, it should be noted, set a record for the duration of the flight during the test - 24 hours 34 minutes.
If we talk about stories creating Bayraktar TB2, then it is quite simple. Back in 2007, two companies, Baykar Technologies and the Kale Group, received an order from the Turkish military to develop a prototype of a promising unmanned aerial vehicle. Two years later, Bayraktar Block A appeared, which was taken as a basis. In 2012, it was finalized and put into service under the guise of Block B, after which mass production began.
Since that time, Turkish troops have made an order for the 151 drone, at the moment only half has been received. In addition, one complex (6 apparatuses) is in service with the General Directorate of Security and two complexes - at the High Command of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
These drones are widely used in Syria against the Kurds, as well as directly in Turkey itself. It is known that at least one unit was shot down in the middle of winter 2018 of the year on the Turkish-Syrian border.
More recently, the Turkish-made drone could not boast of export success, and only at the beginning of 2019, one such complex (6 drones) was delivered to Qatar.
As for the Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation, it all started with the fact that the Ukrainian state-owned concern Ukroboronprom was looking for UAVs that would already have been worked out in serial production and met the requirements of the Ukrainian army. At the beginning of this year, an agreement was signed on the supply of Turkish drones to the Ukrainian side. The number of purchased vehicles remains unknown, but last fall there was information that the contract spelled out the purchase of one complex and two hundred missiles.
In the spring, the vehicles passed tests and were sent to the zone of armed conflict, according to some information, to the Dokuchaevsk area as part of the 35-th separate brigade of marines.
If in the near future Ukraine will get some more drone drone strike, it will mean strengthening the strike potential of the Ukrainian army. The troops have already received a good machine, which is capable of hitting targets from a height of about 5 km and has a long range.
However, on the other hand, the Turkish drone has a number of drawbacks. These include, for example, a relatively small combat load, which in fact means that only unprotected objects are capable of hitting bombs or missiles. There is nothing surprising in this, since the manufacturers from the very beginning designed an apparatus for fighting partisan Kurdish units, therefore its main task was to stay in the air for a long time and, at a certain moment, on command, hit single targets or small caravans.
In southeastern Ukraine, by contrast, there is a full-fledged war using tanks and serious fortifications. Therefore, it is not yet possible to determine how effective Turkish drones will be in this case.
The disadvantages can also be attributed to the relatively low cruising speed - just 130 km / h, but at the same time quite large sizes. It is still not entirely clear how the Turkish vehicles will behave with active electronic countermeasures, because the combat experience of using Bayraktar TB2 is limited only to operations against small partisan detachments.
Although, probably, the Ukrainian military has a coherent concept of using UAVs, which includes the use of not only Turkish large drones, but also small Warmate kamikaze UAVs, which have been mass-produced in Chernihiv. These devices have great speed and have the ability to hit the target as quickly as possible.
Of course, the fact that Turkey and Ukraine began cooperation in the military-industrial complex may indicate an exchange of technologies and experience. Therefore, even without knowing all the conditions of the contract, it can be assumed that after carrying out full-scale state testing, the Ukrainian side will want to sign a contract for the local production of similar UAVs. In addition, we should not forget that in Ukraine there is a private development of the shock drone from the "Antonov" - "Gorlitsa". About her virtually nothing is known, although in fact it differs little in its technical characteristics from the Turkish drone.
Here, first of all, it is necessary to understand that for the Ukrainian state such a direction as the design and production of UAVs was not a priority right up to the 2014 year, when the capabilities of drones were appreciated in a real war. Of course, the 4 of the year is very small for creating a full-fledged, efficient unmanned vehicle. Therefore, even in the presence of production capacity, scientific and technical potential, the production of such devices stretches for years.
With the acquisition of Turkish drones, Ukrainian military industrialists have gained invaluable experience in creating drones of this type. In addition, the Gorlitsa UAV is not at all the limit of the potential of the Ukrainian defense industry. It should be recalled that in October 2018, the Ukrainian side presented a model of a strategic strike drone similar to the American MQ-9 "Reaper". According to the plans, this model should have very good characteristics: maximum payload weight up to 1400 kg and take-off weight up to 6 000 kg. Of course, this is only a model, but it should also be remembered that Antonov signed a cooperation agreement with the Swiss company AIR-ION Technologies SA at the Farnborough air show. The memorandum provides for joint development and production of electric and hybrid UAVs.
Thus, we can say that Antonov Design Bureau has a clear idea of what Ukrainian shock drones should be like, and ambitions do not end with the Gorlitz UAV. But since the Ukrainian military-industrial complex is only at the beginning of the path, then, accordingly, the creation of strategic strike drones is still far away.
It is impossible to deny the benefits from the supply of foreign strategic drones, especially in conditions when the Ukrainian army is in dire need of modern weapons. While domestic devices are under development, it is necessary to use the experience and capabilities of the allies.
Agreement for the purchase of Turkish military drones, we recall, was signed in early November last year during the visit of the head of the Ukrainian state to Turkey. According to the terms of the contract, it was assumed that 6 combat vehicles, two control stations and two hundred controlled missiles. In addition, the supply of a set of spare parts, personnel training and service maintenance were provided. The cost of this contract was estimated at 69 million dollars.
The Ukrainian and Turkish sides were negotiating on supplies drones for several years, during this time period, Ukrainian representatives of the military department visited Turkey, getting acquainted with the various stages of testing the drone.
What is the Turkish Bayraktar TB2?
This is a Turkish-made operational-tactical drone equipped with a Rotax 912 internal combustion engine with a capacity of 100 horsepower. The body of the device is equipped with an automatic take-off and landing system and is made of composite materials. Drone is able to carry aviation bombs and anti-tank guided missiles. In length, the device reaches 6,5 meters, wingspan - 12 meters. It can reach speeds of up to 222 km / h, while cruising speed is 130 km / h. The range of Bayraktar TB2 is 150 kilometers. The drone is capable of carrying a load of up to 50 kg.
Turkish drone, it should be noted, set a record for the duration of the flight during the test - 24 hours 34 minutes.
If we talk about stories creating Bayraktar TB2, then it is quite simple. Back in 2007, two companies, Baykar Technologies and the Kale Group, received an order from the Turkish military to develop a prototype of a promising unmanned aerial vehicle. Two years later, Bayraktar Block A appeared, which was taken as a basis. In 2012, it was finalized and put into service under the guise of Block B, after which mass production began.
Since that time, Turkish troops have made an order for the 151 drone, at the moment only half has been received. In addition, one complex (6 apparatuses) is in service with the General Directorate of Security and two complexes - at the High Command of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
These drones are widely used in Syria against the Kurds, as well as directly in Turkey itself. It is known that at least one unit was shot down in the middle of winter 2018 of the year on the Turkish-Syrian border.
More recently, the Turkish-made drone could not boast of export success, and only at the beginning of 2019, one such complex (6 drones) was delivered to Qatar.
As for the Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation, it all started with the fact that the Ukrainian state-owned concern Ukroboronprom was looking for UAVs that would already have been worked out in serial production and met the requirements of the Ukrainian army. At the beginning of this year, an agreement was signed on the supply of Turkish drones to the Ukrainian side. The number of purchased vehicles remains unknown, but last fall there was information that the contract spelled out the purchase of one complex and two hundred missiles.
In the spring, the vehicles passed tests and were sent to the zone of armed conflict, according to some information, to the Dokuchaevsk area as part of the 35-th separate brigade of marines.
If in the near future Ukraine will get some more drone drone strike, it will mean strengthening the strike potential of the Ukrainian army. The troops have already received a good machine, which is capable of hitting targets from a height of about 5 km and has a long range.
However, on the other hand, the Turkish drone has a number of drawbacks. These include, for example, a relatively small combat load, which in fact means that only unprotected objects are capable of hitting bombs or missiles. There is nothing surprising in this, since the manufacturers from the very beginning designed an apparatus for fighting partisan Kurdish units, therefore its main task was to stay in the air for a long time and, at a certain moment, on command, hit single targets or small caravans.
In southeastern Ukraine, by contrast, there is a full-fledged war using tanks and serious fortifications. Therefore, it is not yet possible to determine how effective Turkish drones will be in this case.
The disadvantages can also be attributed to the relatively low cruising speed - just 130 km / h, but at the same time quite large sizes. It is still not entirely clear how the Turkish vehicles will behave with active electronic countermeasures, because the combat experience of using Bayraktar TB2 is limited only to operations against small partisan detachments.
Although, probably, the Ukrainian military has a coherent concept of using UAVs, which includes the use of not only Turkish large drones, but also small Warmate kamikaze UAVs, which have been mass-produced in Chernihiv. These devices have great speed and have the ability to hit the target as quickly as possible.
Ukrainian prospects for the production of UAVs
Of course, the fact that Turkey and Ukraine began cooperation in the military-industrial complex may indicate an exchange of technologies and experience. Therefore, even without knowing all the conditions of the contract, it can be assumed that after carrying out full-scale state testing, the Ukrainian side will want to sign a contract for the local production of similar UAVs. In addition, we should not forget that in Ukraine there is a private development of the shock drone from the "Antonov" - "Gorlitsa". About her virtually nothing is known, although in fact it differs little in its technical characteristics from the Turkish drone.
Here, first of all, it is necessary to understand that for the Ukrainian state such a direction as the design and production of UAVs was not a priority right up to the 2014 year, when the capabilities of drones were appreciated in a real war. Of course, the 4 of the year is very small for creating a full-fledged, efficient unmanned vehicle. Therefore, even in the presence of production capacity, scientific and technical potential, the production of such devices stretches for years.
With the acquisition of Turkish drones, Ukrainian military industrialists have gained invaluable experience in creating drones of this type. In addition, the Gorlitsa UAV is not at all the limit of the potential of the Ukrainian defense industry. It should be recalled that in October 2018, the Ukrainian side presented a model of a strategic strike drone similar to the American MQ-9 "Reaper". According to the plans, this model should have very good characteristics: maximum payload weight up to 1400 kg and take-off weight up to 6 000 kg. Of course, this is only a model, but it should also be remembered that Antonov signed a cooperation agreement with the Swiss company AIR-ION Technologies SA at the Farnborough air show. The memorandum provides for joint development and production of electric and hybrid UAVs.
Thus, we can say that Antonov Design Bureau has a clear idea of what Ukrainian shock drones should be like, and ambitions do not end with the Gorlitz UAV. But since the Ukrainian military-industrial complex is only at the beginning of the path, then, accordingly, the creation of strategic strike drones is still far away.
It is impossible to deny the benefits from the supply of foreign strategic drones, especially in conditions when the Ukrainian army is in dire need of modern weapons. While domestic devices are under development, it is necessary to use the experience and capabilities of the allies.
Information