May 5, 2022 (The New Atlas) - Ukrainian-operated Bayraktar TB2 Turkish drones are back in the news having taken out 2 Russian patrol boats in the Black Sea. While it is passed off as a major victory, it actually proves just how limited the Bayraktar’s capabilities are in a conflict with an opponent fielding superior air defense systems.
Ukrainian Bayraktar drones have been limited to targeting poorly protected logistic convoys, weapon systems in transit, and the occasional military unit operating behind the protection of Russian air defense systems - tempering the near-legendary status the Western media has given it since hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020.
While the Bayraktar drone is a capable platform, because of Russia’s advantage in air defense, it has been downgraded from a war-winning weapon to a nuisance along the fringes of Russian-controlled territory.
