From the first days of the Russian invasion, the Bayraktar combat drone has acquired a symbolic meaning for Ukrainians. They not only write songs and make videos with its name, but also go to the state registry office to give that name to their child. The Turkish UAVs we are talking about have long been called "people's" UAVs. Today we will tell you about where the Bayraktar came from and why it received its worldwide fame and gratitude from millions of Ukrainians.

Basic information

The Bayraktar is an operational and tactical drone, the country of manufacture of which is known to be Turkey. This UAV can accelerate to 200 kilometers in an hour and climb above eight kilometers. The name of the aircraft comes from the surname of Baykar's founder, Ozdemir Bayraktar. Such drones have been in service with Ukraine since the spring of 2021. For the first time, “bayraktars” flew over our lands during the hostile shelling of the village of Hranitne in the Donetsk region. The Rashists couldn't even see the drone on their radar devices to try to destroy it.

Who and how created the most famous drone in Ukraine?

The Bayraktar UAV is the creation of a Turkish engineer and entrepreneur named Selçuk Bayraktar. Since his father founded Baykar Makina in 1986, he has been involved in the drone industry and played a key role in it. At home, the man has been called the "Turkish Elon Musk" for a long time.

The passion for constructing airplanes appeared in Selçuk in his childhood. He secretly developed radio-controlled airplanes, sometimes taking ready-made toys and remaking them to his own taste. The prototype of the familiar TB2 model was released in 2014. After another two years, bombs began to be installed on the drone. Since then, the vehicles have been actively used in military conflicts, in particular in Syria.

Few people know that Bayraktar is a collective name for all the drones that are manufactured at the Turkish Baykar Makina factory. There are 3 types of them: light, medium and heavy. The most popular of the available models, Bayraktar TB2, is in Ukraine's military arsenal. In addition to it there are also other models:

• Bayraktar Mini UAV is light (approximately 3.5 kilograms in weight). The maximum flight altitude is about 1 kilometer. Can be in the airspace for only an hour.
• Bayraktar Akıncı is heavy (carries up to 1350 kilograms of combat load). Maximum flight altitude is 12 kilometers. It can be in the air the whole day.
• Bayraktar TB3 is a naval version of the drone, which has not yet been tested. It can stay in the air for up to 50 hours and carry up to 280 kilograms of cargo.
• Bayraktar Kizilelma is a project that is currently under development. The jet drone will be powered by an AI-25 TLT engine from the Ukrainian manufacturer, which will give it the ability to accelerate up to 900 kilometers per hour.

What are the characteristics of the Bayraktar used by our military?

The Bayraktar TB2 is exactly the medium-altitude attack drone that Ukrainian soldiers skillfully use when defending the borders of our country from the invader. Such vehicle is designed not only for reconnaissance, but also for independent strikes. It can stay in the airspace for up to 27 hours continuously, easily climb to an altitude of up to 8.2 kilometers and can attack enemy positions from a distance of 8 kilometers. The maximum speed this "bird" can reach is 222 kilometers per hour.

Bayraktar TB2 is equipped with a high-precision guidance system. Thanks to the electro-optical camera and laser rangefinder these drones easily hit the target.

Bayraktar TB2 has four suspension points under its wings, making it capable of carrying an equal number of munitions specifically designed for it. One of the armaments is the MAM-L guided bomb, which can be targeted. It, for its part, is designed to carry three types of warheads:

• High-explosive fragmentation;
• Thermobaric;
• Tandem (used against tanks).

The weight of each such ammunition is 22 kilograms, its length is 1 meter, and its diameter is 160 millimeters. The projectile can fly at a distance of up to 8 kilometers.

If we talk about MAM-C, they can carry two types of warheads:

• High-explosive fragmentation;
• Multipurpose.

The weight of such armament is 6.5 kilograms, the length is 970 millimeters, and the hit radius is up to 8 kilometers.

Why is Bayraktar almost impossible to shoot down?

The drone is several times smaller than conventional aircraft. In addition, its body is made of plastic, not metal, so this drone does not show up on the radar.

Another feature of the Bayraktar is its low-power engine, which makes it impossible for an enemy to hear the distinctive sound of an aircraft in the sky. Finally, the drone emits less heat than a jet engine, which makes it invisible to missile systems with infrared guidance.

The cost of such UAV

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