The Bayraktar TB2, kyiv's aerial asset against Russian firepower

Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, Baykar's flagship model, on December 16, 2019, in the Turkish part of the island of Cyprus.

© Birol BEBEK / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

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The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone has become the symbol of the Ukrainian army's resistance in the air against the Russian invader.

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If the TB2 from the Turkish manufacturer Bayraktar is half the size of the American Reaper, it is nevertheless a very enduring drone.

With a flight autonomy of 27 hours and a range of 150 kilometres, the drone with a wingspan of 12 meters and weighing 650 kg, which can even reach an altitude of 6,000 meters, is easy to use and above all inexpensive, reports

, journalist specializing in defense issues at RFI.

In the aeronautical world, it is nicknamed the Kalashnikov of the 21st century.

Each of these devices can carry four laser-guided missiles, which are extremely effective in targeting Russian armor when they are scattered and therefore poorly protected.

The Ukrainian forces have also relayed images of the drone on social networks targeting columns of trucks and tanks.

► To read also: Ukraine and Turkey announce the installation in Ukraine of a Bayraktar drone factory

At the start of the conflict, Kiev had around twenty TB2s, Moscow claims to have shot down more than 6. If the small Turkish drone is formidable and proved decisive in November 2020 in the

, it is easy prey for the Russian air force, especially if the fighters enter the scene massively.

The Bayralktar, therefore, will not change the course of the War, but it has the advantage of showing that Russia does not completely control the Ukrainian sky.

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