As of 2022 the Turkish built Bayraktar drone was considered one of the most effective deadly offensive drones used by the Ukrainian military at the start of 2022 Russo-Ukraine war.[1] By July 2022 it had lost its significance and reliability.[2]
In 2020 Turkish and Ukrainian officials announced the establishment of a joint venture to produce Bayraktar TB2s in Ukraine. A Bayraktar TB2 conducted a reconnaissance flight over the Donbas region on 9 April 2021. This was the first operationalization of the aircraft by the Ukrainian Forces within an active conflict zone.
In October 2021, a Bayraktar TB2 drone was used for the first time in combat during the Donbas war, targeting a Donetsk Peoples Militia artillery position, destroying a D-30 howitzer, and halting the bombardment of Ukrainian troops near Hranitne.
On June 20, 2022, the Russian armed forces shot down 21 Bayraktars in a single day, a new record.[3]
Delivery vehicle for biological weapons
Ukraine had sent a request to the manufacturing company regarding the possibility of equipping the Bayraktar drones with aerosol equipment. On March 9, 2022, three unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with 30-litre containers and equipment for spraying formulations were detected by Russian reconnaissance units in Kherson region. At the end of April 2022, ten more were found near Kakhovka.[4]