16 units of Bayraktar TB2 were shipped to Ukraine
Kamer Kurunc, 6 April 2022
Turkey's defense exports to Ukraine increased approximately 30 times in the first quarter of 2022. At the same time, a new TB2 shipment was made to Ukraine.
The export realized by the Turkish Defense and Aviation Industry sector in March 2022 was 327.7 million USD.
According to the data, Turkey realized defense and aerospace exports of 59.1 million dollars to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2022. In the first quarter of 2021, this figure was around $ 1.9 million.
New Bayraktar TB2 Supply
Ukraine has ordered more than 20 Bayraktar TB2s from Turkey so far. According to Reuters sources, the country resisting the Russian occupation ordered 16 more Bayraktar TB2s on January 27. It is claimed that this lot of 16 pieces was delivered to Ukraine at the beginning of March.
In a statement made by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on the subject on March 2, “The new Bayraktar TB2s have already arrived in Ukraine and are in combat positions. There will also be more Javelin and Stinger on the court.” statements were made
Ukraine had more than 48 TB2 SİHA orders for Baykar Defence, and delivery had not been made for a long time.
Ukraine Bayraktar TB2
The Turkish Defense and Aviation Industry sector, which broke a new record with 3.2 billion USD worth of exports in 2021, entered 2022 with an export of 306.7 million USD. In March 2022, just like in February 2022, the sector realized exports worth 327 million US dollars.
The exports realized by the sector in the period of 1 January - 31 March 2022 increased by 48.6% compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 961 million US dollars.
Ukraine's Bayraktar TB2 Inventory
So, how many Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs may be in Ukraine's inventory? It is impossible to answer this question except for open source information, but if an account is made in this direction:
It is known that the Ukrainian Air Force received at least two batches of Bayraktar TB2s. In other words, there are at least 12 Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs in the inventory of the Ukrainian Air Force.
It is known that at least one batch of Bayraktar TB2 was delivered to the Ukrainian Navy. It can be said that there are 6 Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs in the inventory of the Ukrainian Navy.
Considering that at least 18 Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs were delivered to Ukraine, and another 16 were delivered before the war, it can be said that the total number of Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs in Ukraine's inventory reached at least 34.
The number of Bayraktar TB2 SİHAs, which have been visually confirmed to have been shot down during the war, is 3 until today.
Ukraine and Bayraktar TB2
The Russia-Ukraine War started on February 24, 2022, with the attacks of Russia. Ukraine's Bayraktar TB2 Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SİHA), which was among the first targets of the Russian Federation during the war, continues its duties despite the intense presence of the Russian air defense system in the region. In addition, Bayraktar TB2 SİHA is also exposed to interference from Russian electronic warfare systems.
Bayraktar TB2 SİHA is used by both the Ukrainian Air Force and the Ukrainian Navy. The SİHA, which can operate with a maximum of 4 Roketsan-produced MAM-L/C ammunition, successfully carries out its mission despite the mixing activities of electronic warfare systems.
Türkiye’nin Ukrayna’ya yönelik savunma ihracatı 2022 yılının ilk çeyreğinde yaklaşık 30 katlık bir artış kaydetti, Ukrayna'ya yeni TB2 sevkiyatı da gerçekleşti.
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