"Bayraktars" became less effective due to improved Russian air defence - media
Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones were of great use to the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the beginning of the invasion, but now they are less effective because the enemy has strengthened its air defences.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Defense News.
The publication quotes Vladimir Valyukh, an officer of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, who believes that it is rare to find a situation where Bayraktars can be used now that the quality of Russian air and electronic defence has increased. He adds that the last Bayraktar flight he knows of lasted 30 minutes, although these drones can stay in the air for more than a day.
The publication recalls that in the first weeks of the Russian invasion, the TB2 drone of the Turkish manufacturer Baykar was often mentioned in the news. However, over the past year, videos of these drones have gradually disappeared from the information space as their use has become more limited in the face of more advanced Russian air defence.
At the same time, Baykar explained to Defense News that reports of the limited usefulness of its flagship product should be treated with a certain amount of scepticism.
"The absence of video footage does not necessarily mean that drones are not being used," said Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar.
According to him, the drones are now operating in a complex environment with hundreds of Russian medium- and long-range air defence systems, but there is still benefit from them.
"Currently, the Bayraktar TB2s are mainly used for daily flights to track targets, which is no less important than attacking," Bayraktar added.
