SHOCKING! Cheap Ukraine drones destroy dozens of Russian tank, missiles; meet Bayraktar TB 2

The Ukraine war has bogged down Russian soldiers, and even their armored carriers, trucks, tank and missiles have been hobbled to an extent by fierce Ukrainian resistance. In a big surprise, there have been quite a few moments when Ukraine managed to pull off the seemingly impossible- from the legends of the ghost of Kyiv pilot who has reportedly destroyed more than 10 Russian fighter planes to using facial recognition technology to take out Russian soldiers at night in guerilla warfare fashion and even a tank. It turns out Ukraine has made the most out of its cheap Turkish-made drones, Bayraktar TB 2, which on paper, do not amount to much. Not only is it very cheap at about $1 million (which makes it an expendable technology) but its top speed is just around 220 km/h, making it a very slow drone.

However, despite its average specifications, the unmanned armed vehicle or UAV ended up destroying Russian missile launchers and a tank, according to reports. But the question is, how was it able to trick the Russian forces who hold advanced military technologies and capabilities? And we are not the only ones who are surprised at this. Speaking to NBC News, David Hambling, a London-based drone expert said, “It’s quite startling to see all these videos of Bayraktars apparently knocking out Russian surface-to-air missile batteries, which are exactly the kind of system that’s equipped to shoot them down”.

Bayraktar TB 2 does the impossible at Russia-Ukraine war

Let us take a better look at this UAV built by the private Turkish defense company Baykar. According to Ukraine’s defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov, the embattled country received an unspecified number of Bayraktar TB 2 drones in March. The drones have a wingspan of 39 feet, making it slower than the likes of the U.S. Reaper (wingspan of 66 feet) which can clock about 480 km/h. Yet, somehow in this Ukraine-Russia war, these drones are coming out triumphant.

The Bayraktar TB 2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV. It has a range of 150 kms and a maximum speed of 220 km/h. With a maximum takeoff weight of 700 kgs, it has a payload capacity of 150 kgs. The UAV features 4 laser guided smart ammunition technology which enables it to drop ammunition to a pinpointed location even in pitch dark. It can fly between the height of 18,000 - 25,000 feet and can sustain flight for 27 hours before needing to land.

While the Ukraine drone in itself is nothing spectacular, there are two factors which could have led to its success. First would be the exceptional and timely usage by the Ukrainian forces to map out the right areas to not only hide the UAV well but also deliver the payload as quickly as possible. On the other hand, it would appear that Russian forces did not expect Ukraine to possess such a technology and did not use electronic jammers and surveillance systems to take these drones down immediately.

“It is puzzling,” Hambling sums it up. “It is literally a World War I aircraft, in terms of performance. It is not stealthy. It is not supersonic. It’s a clay pigeon — a real easy target.”

And how does he explain the current situation? “It may be massive incompetence by the Russians. It may be that the Ukrainians have discovered some sneaky tactics they can use.”