Bayraktar TB2

The Bayraktar TB2 is one of the most internationally visible Turkish defense products. Baykar presents TB2 as a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle system with an integrated network-based architecture, while public references identify it as a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV that entered service after its 2014 first flight. The system marked a major step in Turkey's domestic UAV industry and export diplomacy.

TB2's design is effective because it combines enough endurance, sensor quality, and guided-weapon capability in a comparatively affordable package. Baykar describes a complete system architecture rather than just an air vehicle, including ground control and support elements. The aircraft's payload and hardpoints support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, target designation, and strike roles against lightly defended targets.

In service, Bayraktar TB2 became important because it changed expectations for mid-cost armed drones. It gave several operators a persistent ISR and precision-strike tool without the cost of larger U.S.-style MALE UAVs. Its combat record also exposed limits: drones need permissive airspace, electronic resilience, and replacement capacity. That balance makes TB2 a useful case study in modern drone warfare.