The indigenous program once again proves its worth not only for Turkey but its neighbours. Led by the much hyped Bayraktar TB2, Turkish UAVs are obliterating Russian armour once again, this time in Ukraine.
Turkey is one of the few countries in the region with own capabilities to project power beyond its boundaries, have been more and more utilising its indigenous military technologies in the battlefield.
In recent years, the country's military-industrial complex has produced one particular brand brand which has been featured more in the news than the ones like Lockheed Martin or Boeing.
And it is all for a reason.
Turkey's TB2 systems have enabled its users significant air superiority at a very cheap cost, and now one of the most battle hardened systems among its peers.
First in Iraq against PKK terrorists, then in Libya against French backed warlord Khalifa Haftar, TB2s tipped the balance of power on the ground. Following the bombing and killing of 34 Turkish soldiers in Northern Syria, Turkish military, one of the largest in NATO, has punished Syrian Republic's army northern division so severely that Assad's regime has not been able to move an inch further north for two years.
Finally, in Azerbaijan's campaign to liberate its occupied territories from Armenia, Turkish drones enabled Baku to regain everything lost over four years of war in only 44 days.
Today, Turkish drones seem to be proving their use in another campaign. Ukrainian armed forces and Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov last week began sharing footage taken from onboard cameras of TB2s showing destruction of Russian vehicles.
Making another successful appearance in yet another campaign against Russian armour, Turkish indigenous military-industrial complex despite foreign lobbying efforts in the US and Canada by Armenian groups, prove once again the importance of sovereign capabilities in manufacturing and engineering.
Here are some stories about TB2 in the international media:
Turkey’s very first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may not be anywhere near as state-of-the-art as General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper or SkyGuardian drones. Yet its appeal lies in a brutally efficient cost-benefit ratio on the battlefield.
Ukraine claims these drones are inflicting extensive damage to Russia’s military assets. Russian tanks and other armored vehicles were purportedly destroyed in these drone attacks. While these claims are yet to be verified, estimates based on photographic evidence by open-source intelligence suggest hundreds have been lost.
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