The full appearance of the Baika "Flag Bearer" TB2 drone, which can carry 4 weapons
The Baika Flag Bearer TB2 is a medium-altitude long-time (MALE) unmanned combat vehicle (UCAV) capable of long-range control or autonomous flight. As of November 26, 2021, the TB2 drone has completed 400,000 flight hours worldwide. The largest operator of TB2 drones is the Turkish military, but its export models already have a large number of sales orders.
phylogeny
The Turkish army's combat effectiveness and weapons and equipment are relatively strong, but Turkey's internal and external environment is not so peaceful, coupled with Turkey's desire to expand its international influence, Turkey feels the need to develop effective reconnaissance surveillance and strike forces, including drones, to ensure the stability of its internal and external environment, so it decided to develop its own unmanned fighter.
In 2011, the Turkish Defense Industry Association commissioned Baykar, a domestic defense company specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles, to develop a new type of reconnaissance drone. To develop the new type of drone, Baikal has established a joint venture (JV) with the Kale Group, a Turkish aviation manufacturing company.
Long before the Turkish government commissioned Baikal, it had already begun to develop a drone with two booms and a vertical V-tail in 2007, and the drone made its first flight in early June 2009.
After receiving commissions from the Turkish government, Baikal signed a phase II agreement with the Turkish Defense Industry Association, the goal of which was to develop and produce a production model, tentatively named "Bilaktar Block 2". The second phase of the project began in January 2012, and the No. 2 model was named "Vilactar TB2", which means the second phase of mass production machine.
TB2 in flight. The Viraktar TB2 is a lightly armed drone, but it can also play a basic reconnaissance and surveillance drone role
The TB2 is equipped with a 105 hp Rotax 912 engine with a top speed of about 220 km/h. The TB2 integrates flight control systems, GPS-INS (Inertial Navigation) and automated take-off and landing systems, all of which are necessary for reconnaissance drones. TB2 completed development in April 2014 and made its first maiden flight in August 2014.
From the TB2 parked on the ground, the ground control station can be seen from behind
Tb2 is turkey's first drone to achieve a total flight time of 100,000 flight hours in June 2019, achieving 5,300 flight hours during Operation Olive Branch in Syria alone. From 2014 to 2019, the Turkish army deployed 86 TB2s at home and abroad.
TB2's overseas exports are also very active, and have been exported to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Qatar and other countries, and now there are a large number of orders from various countries or export negotiations. In 2020, TB2 actively participated in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and performed well, with strong export momentum.
Especially with the development of TB2 in the Middle East, many Russian-made Panzer-S1 short-range air defense systems were destroyed. As of January 2022, 11 Panzer-S1s have been destroyed by TB2, which has also led to a continued increase in interest in TB2 in middle Eastern countries.
peculiarity
Panoramic view of TB2 from above. In terms of appearance, as with a typical drone design, the streamlined fuselage, long wing, inverted V-tail, with two booms
Tb2 is a drone for hollow reconnaissance/ground attack, and its basic framework was developed from 2007 and completed in 2009. Development began in the armed type from the second stage and was completed around 2014.
The basic wing design is adopted, and the tail adopts an inverted V-shaped tail. Thrust is generated by an internal combustion engine located between the two tail beams. The fuselage is hard-shell design. For ease of movement and storage, the main wing, tail beam and tail wing can be disassembled. The fuselage of the aircraft consists of carbon fiber composite materials and anti-elastic Kevler, and the skeleton or connecting part in the middle is made of CNC machined aluminum material. Fuel is distributed and stored in fuel tanks on the fuselage, and to balance flight, it is designed to transfer fuel from one tank when it becomes lighter. The engine propeller adopts a variable double-blade propeller, which is highly efficient in hollow flight.
The TB2 is capable of automatically taxiing, take-off, cruise flight, landing, etc., and fuses data collected in real time through sensors. Reconnaissance cameras are mounted on the tail wing side, so not only the flight status of the aircraft can be seen, but also all onboard equipment. If communication between flights is interrupted or in an emergency, it can automatically make an emergency landing on the available runway.
In addition, by using sensor fusion algorithms, it is possible to land normally after flight even if the GPS is stuck or there is no signal.
A holistic view of GCS. Under normal circumstances, the car can accommodate three operators and three TB2s in disassembled condition
A Vilactar suite consists of six aircraft and two ground control stations (GCS), three ground data terminals (GDTs), two remote video terminals (RVTs) and ground support equipment. The maximum take-off weight of each aircraft is about 650 kg, with a total length of 6.5 meters and a wingspan of 12 meters. Vilactar TB2's Ground Control Station (GCS) is compatible with NATO standards and is equipped with a large hydraulically operated antenna 12 meters high to extend communication distances.
GCS internal profile view. There are 3 operators, who are responsible for flight control and control of sensors and installation equipment
Vilocktar integrates the MAM-L and MAM-C missiles of Roketsan, a domestic military-industrial enterprise in Turkey, and can perform simple strike missions. In particular, the Viraktar can carry four smart weapons, so it can approach the target without causing casualties and then strike the target with precision.
TB2-mounted sensors and avionics can accurately monitor and track targets, meaning targets can be precisely eliminated while minimizing civilian damage.
The TB2 is equipped with a Real-Time Image Transfer System (BGAM), so it can transfer high-resolution live images to multiple locations. Especially because BGAM uses Internet-based applications, it can be transferred to a network or To a Windows-based tablet using an Internet network.
MAM-L missile integrated with TB2. It is designed to be carried by unmanned aerial vehicles or light attack aircraft
The health status
TB2 prepares to take off on the open runway
The Turkish army served a total of 75 TB2s. TB2 is most famous in the June 2020 conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. At that time, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Khasanov announced that he had purchased TB2 from Turkey and effectively used the drone in the war with the Armenian army and achieved a major victory. At that time the Azerbaijani army deployed TB2 to destroy the artillery and infantry positions of the Armenian army, as well as BM-30 Smerch MLRS, T-72 tanks and BMP-1/2 infantry fighting vehicles. In addition, more than 9 Osa and Strela-10 air defense systems were also destroyed by drones of the Azerbaijan Army, which are likely to be TB2.
TB2 is currently sold to many countries, in addition to the above countries, ethiopia (order 4 units), Iraq (order 8 units), Kyrgyzstan (order 3 units), Libya and Morocco (order status 19 units, September 2021) India), Niger (6 ordered), Poland (24 ordered, scheduled for delivery from 2022), Qatar (6 in operation), Turkmenistan, Ukraine and other countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Oman, Rwanda, Somalia and Serbia have all shown interest in introducing TB2. (By the end of 2021)
TB2 dropped the Bozok bomb
Derivative models
TB2: Armed drone developed by Baikar, Turkey.
TB3: The Turkish Defense Industry Association announced in February 2021 the development of a new type of drone, a naval version known as the TB2, with the first production to be deployed on the Turkish Navy's amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu (L-400). The engine was developed by TEI, a local Turkish company.
The Anadolu was originally planned to deploy the F-35 Lightning II, but as the U.S. government excluded Turkey from the international joint development project, the ship was partially converted to carry drones and adopted the TB3 as a carrier-based aircraft. The Anadolu carries about 30 to 50 TB3s, and the TB3s are scheduled to make their first flight in 2022.