The Bayraktar TB2, Türkiye’s first domestically-produced unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), which made many achievements in the Turkish aviation industry, has successfully completed 750,000 flight hours, its manufacturer Baykar said Monday.
In this way, the Bayraktar TB2 also became the first indigenous aerial vehicle to spend the longest time in the Turkish skies, approaching 1 million hours of service.
Developed by Baykar and globally recognized in terms of technical specifications and being a decisive factor in operations, the Bayraktar TB2 entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2014.
Armed in 2015, the UCAV is currently operated by the TSK, the Gendarmerie General Command, the Turkish National Police and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
Furthermore, the drone has been actively involved in counterterrorism operations at home and abroad since 2014.
Aside from domestic use, the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV has been actively deployed by the Ukrainian military in its ongoing war with Russia.
People in Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Norway, Spain and Canada organized fundraising campaigns in the past to buy Bayraktar TB2s and donate them to the Ukrainian armed forces.
Baykar, instead of accepting the donations collected from the campaigns in Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland, donated the funds raised to purchase Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs to meet the humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people.
Baykar, which has been developing the most valuable software and hardware systems in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles with its team of Turkish engineers since the early 2000s, is recognized as one of the world's leading technology companies with engineering strength in 13 different disciplines.
Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs, whose critical components, designs and software are developed nationally and independently by Baykar, are produced with a record-breaking domestic industry participation rate of 93% at the Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center in Istanbul.
The company which eventually built up its brand name in the drone sector globally was established by senior mechanical engineer Özdemir Bayraktar in 1984 to manufacture delicate engines, pumps and gearbox pieces in the localization of the automotive industry. It entered a serious research and development process to domestically design and manufacture the UCAVs and their subsystems in the 2000s.
The TB2 UCAV is said to have also contributed to key cross-border operations conducted by the TSK, it had been deployed in detecting forest fires and has helped to find tourists lost in Uludağ mountain in northwestern Bursa province.
'Record holder'
On July 16, 2019, the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV set a record by flying continuously for 27 hours and 3 minutes under challenging geographical and climatic conditions, such as high temperatures and sandstorms during a demonstration flight in Kuwait.
The indigenous UCAV continues to conduct its operations in all weather conditions, including desert heat, freezing cold, snow and in storms, having seen active service in diverse geographies from Europe to Africa.
Baykar, which has carried out all its projects with its own resources since its establishment, generated 83% of its revenue from exports since the beginning of the UCAV research and design (R&D) process in 2003.
According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), the company became the export leader in the defense and aviation sectors in 2021 and 2022.
In 2022, with export rates of 99.3% in the contracts signed, Baykar generated $1.2 billion in exports. Export agreements have been signed with 32 countries for Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs and eight countries for Bayraktar AKINCI UCAVs – making a total of 33 countries that Baykar signed agreements with to date.
The company also kicked off 2023 leaving its competitors behind with a $370 million contract with the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry to export the Bayraktar TB2 to the Gulf country. Additionally, with its exports to Romania and Bulgaria, Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs have already entered the inventories of four NATO member countries and two EU countries.