TR UAV/UCAV Programs | Anka - series | Kızılelma | TB - series

[Anmdt]

Do Turkish PGM (Teber, MAM L, etc) ITAR free?

Yes, looking at the countries those systems have been exported and platforms of different origins those were integrated at.

 

[Hexciter]

Ostim Technical University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Sinan Kıvrak and his students developed a multi rotor drone system that can carry 25 kilograms of load and releases one 81 and two 60 mortars.
AA

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1505481725337604099

 

[Ruhnama]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1411986571356635142

Are you the same person who did the study? If no, how could you calculate this?

I wonder how TB2 antennas, landing gear etc come into play. Also how they hide the engine and optics. Without knowing about skin properties how it can be calculated etc…

My prediction is: its RCS is not much, like a small plane but not stealth/VLO level and because of Russian type radar screens the operator misses it if not automatically filtered for “low RCS and slow speed” type of targets.

actually i know who one calculated this

 

[Soldier30]

Turkey has successfully tested the world's first drones with laser weapons of its own production. They were named Re. With the help of such drones, it is planned to remotely neutralize enemy explosive devices so as not to connect sappers to this.

 

[Combat-Master]

I thought the same too but could not decide:

- the camera movement and camera angles are a bit strange like the previous TB2 CATS video. (Servo response to user inputs, stabilization quality and target selection may affect this behavior)
- there is a periodic judder similar to TB2 CATS footage
- image is OK to pass as CATS, not very impressive with a bit of blur

The reason I can’t decide is:
- don’t know if the judder is from twitter etc.
- why they don’t show the CATS?

Maybe they want us to focus on TB2 or prevent criticism on image quality by not showing the type or symbology (which is OK to me but you know nitpicking people). If somebody complains about imported cameras reveal that it was CATS for internet likes

The biggest issue of CATS, from what I can see is the filmography. The picture enhancement features are very aggressive and non-linear, this may also have residual effects on attaining a proper focus on subjects...

Here we can see automatic colour correction within a few frames, very discerning to the eyes for it to switch so quickly.

We can compare it to Wescam MX-15 in similar use case (Drone filming Drone, karayel in this instance), the picture quality is not so dissimilar, however there is no aggressive colour correction some brightness adjustments are gradual but quick

 

[Ardabas34]

Isnt it Wescam when in bottom left it says ''disarm'' and ''IR'' in top middle?

For Aselsan CATS in bottom left doesnt it say something about day settings?

 

[Fuzuli NL]

Ukraine’s Drones Are Wreaking Havoc On The Russian Army​

David Axe
Forbes Staff
Aerospace & Defense
I write about ships, planes, tanks, drones, missiles and satellites.



It was an open question, in the days leading up to Russia’s wider invasion of Ukraine on the night of Feb. 23, whether Ukraine’s small force of Turkish-made TB-2 drones even would survive the first volley of Russian missiles.


Nearly a month later, it’s apparent the TB-2s not only survived—they quickly flew into action. Today Ukraine’s killer-drone fleet arguably is its most potent force.


TB-2s belonging to the Ukrainian air force and navy in recent days have dismantled whole swathes of Russia’s front-line air-defense network and now relentlessly are smashing Russian tanks and supply trucks.


And with credible reports that Turkey has sent fresh shipments of drones, it’s possible Kyiv’s drone campaign is just beginning.


Back in 2020, Azerbaijan’s small fleet of TB-2s was instrumental in that country’s victory over Armenia in a short but violent territorial war. Drone history might be repeating itself in the much bigger war in Ukraine.

Ukraine acquired its first TB-2 in July 2021. By February this year the navy and air force reportedly possessed around 20 of the 40-foot-span, 1,400-pound, propeller-driven drones armed with 14-pound, laser-guided Smart Micro Munition missiles, whose Turkish acronym is “MAM.”


It was unclear whether the TB-2s and their ground stations and operators would survive the air strikes and missile barrages that preceded the Russian ground offensive.

But they did. In fact, it seems the drone force suffered no major losses as it dispersed from its permanent bases, such as Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, to smaller facilities likely concentrated in the country’s west.


It took a few days for the TB-2 operators to set up their gear and prep their drones for ops from austere sites, possibly including little-used civilian airstrips. Once they did, the drones opened an ever-widening aerial offensive. By March 20, foreign observers had confirmed—via photos and videos—nearly 60 tanks, air-defense systems, helicopters, supply trucks and trains that had fallen victim to TB-2 strikes.

In fact, the actual number of drone kills undoubtedly is much, much higher. We don’t know the real total because Ukraine doesn’t want us to know where and how often its drones are striking. “In an effort to attract as little attention to its operations as possible, very little footage of TB2 strikes over Ukraine has been released,” noted the analysts at Oryx blog, a leading source of open-source intelligence.

The drone campaign has expanded in stages. First, the TB-2s went after the short-range air-defense systems protecting Russian tank formations and supply convoys. The drones have plinked no fewer than 10 SAM launchers, including Buks, Tors and a Pantsir.

“Once they were free of Russian air-defenses, the Ukrainians ... began deploying their TB-2s for their other two important tasks—for reconnaissance and for close-air-support,” wrote Tom Cooper, an author and expert on the Russian military. Stripped of their air-defenses, Russian tanks and supply trucks are easy pickings.



“In the Kyiv area, they have mauled many of Russian armored formations; in the south they have directed massive and precise artillery barrages on the Kherson airport and the [Russian] units besieging Mykolaiv.”

TB-2s also lobbed MAMs at several field headquarters. The effect on the Russians has been profound. “TB-2s are also wrecking the Russians’ nerves,” Cooper wrote. “We’ve seen several videos shown entire Russian [battalions] turning around and fleeing after losing only a few vehicles to TB-2s.”

There don’t seem to be major limitations on where the TB-2s can strike within the Ukraine war zone. Kyiv has released videos depicting drone strikes as far south as Kherson and as far north as the Kyiv suburbs.

The distance the drones are flying seems to hint that Turkey provided Ukraine with the latest version of the TB-2 with satellite-communications capability, as well as access to Turksat satellites. The alternative is line-of-sight radio, which can take a drone out to just 100 miles or so.

Russia’s longer-range SAMs—S-300s and S-400s—still are intact. But for a variety of reasons, they’re powerless to stop the TB-2s. For one, the TB-2 operators appear to be flying their drones at low altitude, below the horizon of long-range radars, until it’s time to attack.

Low flight prevents wide surveillance, of course. But the TB-2 appears usually to avoid detection even when it does fly high.

This makes sense. The TB-2’s small size and modest horsepower means it’s quiet, not overly hot on infrared sensors and also hard to detect for many radar operators. It is, in its own way, a stealth warplane. Flying mostly at night helps, too.

The same stealth qualities that protect a drone from air-defenses also allow it to loiter, undetected, over a stretch of highway for 24 hours at a time, silently waiting for the Russians to roll past.

The TB-2 isn’t invulnerable, of course. But unlike a 12-ton MiG-29 and its pilot, the drone is easy to replace. The Russians claim they’ve shot down lots of TB-2s, but there’s photographic evidence of just one wrecked drone.

In any event, Ukraine clearly still has most of the TB-2s it had at the start of the war, plus any additional airframes it got from Turkey in the last few weeks. The stable—or even growing—drone force, plus the steady degradation of Russian air-defenses, could mean that Ukraine’s drone campaign might actually escalate in coming weeks.

In a heady 44 days in late 2020, Azerbaijan’s 10 or so TB-2s knocked out no fewer than 567 Armenian tanks and other vehicles. It was a potentially decisive contribution to a winning campaign. Ukraine has even more TB-2s and has worked out highly effective tactics for them.

The doubt that hung over Kyiv’s nascent drone force on the eve of the Russian attack is gone. The TB-2 is a fearsome weapon. And in the hands of skilled and creative operators, it’s wreaking havoc on the Russian army in Ukraine.


David Axe

I'm a journalist, author and filmmaker based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Ukraine’s Drones Are Wreaking Havoc On The Russian Army

Today Ukraine’s killer-drone fleet arguably is its most potent force.

www.forbes.com

 

[Fuzuli NL]

Turkish drones are a persistent thorn in Russia’s side - opinion​

In Syria, Turkish drones have been instrumental in protecting Idlib and preventing Russian-backed forces from overtaking the last rebel-held province in Syria.​

By GABRIEL TOOLE
Published: MARCH 21, 2022 21:44

Updated: MARCH 22, 2022 07:25

A BAYRAKTAR DRONE is seen during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, last August.
(photo credit: GLEB GARANICH/REUTERS)



In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drone footage began surfacing on social media showing deadly strikes against Russian military convoys. The culprit appeared to be Ukraine’s small fleet of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat drones. As Russia’s invasion continues to unfold, these drones have once again proven themselves to be a persistent and significant thorn in the side of Russia’s military ambitions.

From Syria to Libya to Azerbaijan to Ukraine, Russia has consistently seen Turkish drones appear on the opposite side of the battlefield – often significantly impeding Russian interests. In Ukraine, this trend has escalated as Turkish drones have now been recorded killing Russian soldiers directly for the first time.

Turkey’s Aerospace company Baykar first agreed to sell drones to Ukraine in 2019, in an agreement that included a training facility and plans for a future production site. Ukrainian military personnel were sent to Turkey for training and Ukraine received their first complete shipment in July 2021. When Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine’s fleet quickly took to the skies and helped impede Russian advances through strategic strikes on supply convoys, anti-aircraft systems and combat vehicles.




This is not the first time Turkish drones have helped change the tide of a battlefield. In Syria, Turkish drones have been instrumental in protecting Idlib and preventing Russian-backed forces from overtaking the last rebel-held province in Syria. A Turkish drone campaign in 2020 dubbed Operation Spring shield killed thousands of Syrian soldiers and destroyed hundreds of tanks in only a few days, preventing further advances into Idlib.

In Libya, the transfer of Turkish drones to the GNA during the Libyan civil war shifted the balance of power and upended Haftar’s siege of Tripoli. Counterattacks by the GNA using Turkish drones helped push back the LNA, which was heavily supported by Russia during the war. Afterwards, the GNA’s Interior minister reiterated publicly that it was Turkish drones that ultimately gave them a fighting chance against the LNA.

Bayraktar drone ground control station (credit: BAYHALUK/CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

Turkish drones were also successfully used by Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and allowed Azerbaijan to quickly defeat Armenia, a Russian ally. Thanks to Azerbaijan’s use of drones, they were able to overwhelm Armenian defenses, destroy hundreds of armored vehicles and in the end, absorb 40% of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Ukraine is the latest battlefield to see the appearance of Turkish-made drones and has solidified the anti-Russian image these drones have fostered. Ukraine’s continued use of these drones could further strain Turkey-Russia relations, especially if Ankara remains willing to continue shipments. Turkey certainly does not want to see a deterioration of relations with Russia and will want to stay as impartial as possible. This was evident in late February when, after immense pressure from the West, Turkey closed access to the Black Sea to all warships but subtly left the door open for native fleets to continue to traverse the straights – allowing Russia’s Black Sea fleet freedom of movement.


While continued shipments of Turkish drones would certainly strain relations, the war in Ukraine is an ideal marketing opportunity for the Turkish defense industry. As the world witnesses the success of these drones against a major super power, this could help increase exports in the future. So far, Ukraine has received at least one additional shipment of TB2s from Turkey since the invasion began. Ukraine’s defense minister claimed it received a fresh shipment of the armed drones from Turkey on March 2. The next day, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kıran confirmed this and sought to distance themselves from the arms sale stating: “Private defense industry companies can make such agreements with countries. These countries do not have a binding nature. This is not an aid from Turkey. They are products purchased by Ukraine from a Turkish company. Moreover, Ukraine is not the only country to buy Bayraktar TB2s. Everyone is in line to get the drones.”

Drones may be Ukraine’s last hope of maintaining some form of air assets. With a potential deal for NATO fighter jets scuttled, a new influx of drones may be Ukraine’s next best option. If Turkey remains willing to continue drone sales to Ukraine this may help their attempts to withstand Russian advances. Hopefully, Turkey will see enough of an incentive to continue drone shipments to Ukraine.

If not, Poland possesses a similar fleet of TB2s that could perhaps be transferred under the right circumstances. Either way, it is clear that Turkish drones remain a significant impediment to Russian interests. Ukraine is not the first instance and it won’t be the last.

The writer is the legislative fellow at the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), based in Washington.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-701947

 

[dustdevil]

The biggest issue of CATS, from what I can see is the filmography. The picture enhancement features are very aggressive and non-linear, this may also have residual effects on attaining a proper focus on subjects...

Here we can see automatic colour correction within a few frames, very discerning to the eyes for it to switch so quickly.
View attachment 41288
View attachment 41289

We can compare it to Wescam MX-15 in similar use case (Drone filming Drone, karayel in this instance), the picture quality is not so dissimilar, however there is no aggressive colour correction some brightness adjustments are gradual but quick
View attachment 41291
View attachment 41292

I wanted to check distances but I could not find enough time but according to flightradar track TB2 flew around 6000 ft and minimum range for the Çanakkale Şehit Abidesi is 20-25km. I feel like we need one more generation to catch MX-15 and 2 generations for MX-25.

There is a constant blur I don’t like. It could be just weather that day, youtube/mpeg conversion, dirt on lens/glass, quality of the lens or sensor, misaligned something, or vibration. This makes the images a bit fuzzy. Maybe it’s normal for this combination and maybe MX series or equivalent has some of this too.
Color calibration is off too, but this could be again software or effects for dramatic view.

As a believer of domestic FLIR equipment beginning from Aselflir-300, I’m ok with this. Let long range observation drones get the MX and the rest CATS and network them.

edit: the monochrome image does not look bad.

And I just assumed it was CATS so take this message as a guess/observation.

 

[astragan]

View attachment 41375

View attachment 41376 I wanted to check distances but I could not find enough time but according to flightradar track TB2 flew around 6000 ft and minimum range for the Çanakkale Şehit Abidesi is 20-25km. I feel like we need one more generation to catch MX-15 and 2 generations for MX-25.

There is a constant blur I don’t like. It could be just weather that day, youtube/mpeg conversion, dirt on lens/glass, quality of the lens or sensor, misaligned something, or vibration. This makes the images a bit fuzzy. Maybe it’s normal for this combination and maybe MX series or equivalent has some of this too.
Color calibration is off too, but this could be again software or effects for dramatic view.

As a believer of domestic FLIR equipment beginning from Aselflir-300, I’m ok with this. Let long range observation drones get the MX and the rest CATS and network them.

edit: the monochrome image does not look bad.

And I just assumed it was CATS so take this message as a guess/observation.

All of these are actually solvable issues. From what we see here, I believe that the image is processed on-board, probably to achieve a smaller file size to be transmitted back to the control station. In order to save weight, they must be using smaller drives. Even a few grams are worth a lot in the air. So, if they could find a way to send less processed files back to the control station, the files could then be processed using more processing power. I don’t think that Cats uses an inferior lens or sensor. Of course, wescam obviously has better optical zoom capabilities. But oter than that, it is all software and processing capabilities. Cats is a very new product. It still hasn’t matured. I’m sure that the team behind the device knows all about its shortcomings and are working tirelessly to solve these issues. Aselsan has one advantage that wescam lacks and that is direct field experience. So, Cats will be as good and perhaps even better in just a few years. These are not groundbreaking technologies. They’re just software and optics. They just have to be perfected with each new generation.

 

[manifesto]

I expecting Aselflir R400D optronics with great wonder. They shared introduction video for people. I think, its qualificate of display quite seem clear and sharp! I start to believe Aselflir F500C well, after I watched R400D video.

@TheInsider Hey master! You think, we can see its accept news in this year?

I think, Aselflir F500C will be equivalent Elbit Spectro XR optronics. Israeli's did good job really.

 

[TheInsider]

Well, I don't know the concrete performance metrics of Aselflir-400D but comparing them is not right. It is not a common aperture system. And it is not designed as a targeting system. There is a lack of videos so hard to comment without seeing anything.

https://www.aselsan.com.tr/ASELFLIRR400DTR_7143.pdf

This is the renewed CATS

https://www.aselsan.com.tr/CATS_ElectroOptical_Surveillance_and_Reconnaissance_System_6166.pdf

Renewed CATS can show body details(like hands) of a man looking from the window of an apartment 9km away. It can show car-sized objects clearly over 30km away. Those are all rough comparisons from engineers who were in the fair stands. Again not enough videos of renewed CATS have been released.

 

[Hexciter]

 

[Combat-Master]

JEMSAH

 

[Hexciter]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1506377456931917824

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1506377469611311106

 

[Cabatli_TR]

 

[Anmdt]

JEMSAH
View attachment 41415 View attachment 41414

So they have showed it in their book, nice catch!

 

[Hexciter]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1506377456931917824

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1506377469611311106

In an open source analysis, Baykar Kızılelma's X band RCS was calculated as 0.24.
This could be a sign that he can get close enough to enemy aircraft to get them within range of the BVR without being seen.
Of course, this CONOPS takes a long time to mature.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1506555749677285385

 

[TheInsider]

It is a very rough estimate without taking into account RAM coating and RAM paint. Source geometry is also is not the same. The real important info is how RCS of MIUS is optimized to be low observable around different RF bands (X,S,L,VHF).

 

[Hexciter]

It is a very rough estimate without taking into account RAM coating and RAM paint. Source geometry is also is not the same. The real important info is how RCS of MIUS is optimized to be low observable around different RF bands (X,S,L,VHF).

Composite frame effect not added also.