Bayraktar TB2

The Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Baykar, first entering Turkish armed forces service in 2014 and combining a lightweight airframe with satellite and line-of-sight datalinks, electro-optical and infrared targeting sensors, and the ability to carry precision-guided munitions including laser-guided MAM-series smart munitions. Its relatively low cost compared with larger Western combat drones, combined with an endurance of over 24 hours and the ability to loiter over a target area while relaying live video and then strike with its own weapons, made it attractive to a growing list of export customers beyond Turkey. The drone drew wide international attention for its role supporting Azerbaijani forces in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and Ukrainian forces during the opening phase of the Russian invasion in 2022, where video of TB2 strikes against Russian armored columns and vehicles became a widely shared symbol of Ukrainian resistance early in that war.