Türkiye tests Bayraktar TB2 drone as carrier for 16 FPV drones
Bayraktar TB2 (video still)
Turkish company Baykar has tested the Bayraktar TB2 attack drone as a carrier for 16 Skydagger FPV kamikaze drones, two of which hit their targets during the test. In addition to launching the drones, the TB2 also served as a communications relay to control the smaller UAVs, according to Baykar's website and an Instagram post.
On November 4, Baykar released footage of a test in which a Bayraktar TB2 deployed 16 Skydagger FPV kamikaze drones. The company published the video under the caption "16 x FPV Drone Drop Test."
The company says the TB2 took off from the Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, northwestern Türkiye. At the test range, the aircraft released two FPV drones. After their release, the TB2 served as an airborne communications relay, allowing ground operators to control the drones as they struck designated targets.
Baykar says the average battlefield range of FPV drones is about 15 km. According to the company, integration with the TB2 makes it possible to hit targets at significantly greater distances. Baykar did not specify exactly when the tests took place or what happened to the remaining 14 drones.
Skydagger developed the launch container, called DAGGER POD. It is designed to carry 16 FPV drones and features a modular design that can be adapted to different platforms.
Baykar describes the TB2 on its website as a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) platform with a 12-meter wingspan and a payload capacity of up to 150 kg. Its maximum takeoff weight is 700 kg, and it can remain airborne for more than 18 hours. The company says it has signed TB2 export agreements with 36 countries.
In September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that two Ukrainian companies had conducted combat tests of interceptors designed to destroy jet-powered Shahed drones. He said a hostile drone was destroyed during the tests, and 67 companies are working to develop such systems.
Earlier, on September 4, the US Army completed tests of tethered unmanned systems mounted on Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility light infantry vehicles. The tests took place from July 27 to August 7.
