The video shows a Russian missile launcher sitting outdoors.Suddenly Wrapped With a huge fireball.
Ukrainian officials say what looked like a video game was actually the work of a small, relatively inexpensive Turkish drone that had a surprisingly deadly impact on the Russian army. increase.
U.S. defense officials announced on Monday that Ukraine has made “great” use of Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle. Officials said the United States is working to keep the drone flying.
Ukraine received new shipments of drones earlier this month, According to a Facebook post From the Ukrainian Defense Minister. He didn’t say some. In addition to the Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles offered by the United States, it is unclear whether the United States has made efforts to promote the supply of Turkish drones or other similar systems to Ukraine.
Before the war began, military experts predicted that Russian troops would have little trouble dealing with the Ukrainian complement of 20 Turkish drones. With a single digit millions of price tags, the Bayraktar is much cheaper than a drone like a US reaper, but much slower and smaller with a wingspan of 39 feet.
But, as is often the case in this war, experts misjudged the capabilities of the Russian army.
David Hambling, a London-based drone expert, said:
The reason for the confounding is that drones are easy for Russians to blow out of the sky or need to be disabled by electronic jamming, Hambling said.
“In terms of performance, it’s literally a World War I aircraft,” he said. “It has a 110 horsepower engine. It’s not stealth, it’s not supersonic. It’s clay pigeon shooting — it’s a really easy target.”
According to Hambling, Russians should be able to shoot down drones with fighters. But without air superiority fighters, Russia does not carry out regular combat air patrols. When it comes to electronic jamming, one of the mysteries of Ukraine’s aggression is why Russians no longer take advantage of what experts believe is advanced electronic warfare capabilities.
In short, Turkish drones continue to star in videos shared on Twitter and other social media, blowing Russian vehicles to the Smithereens. Ukrainians even praised them with songs. The number of people shot down is unknown, but at least some have remained effective, US officials say.
“It’s puzzling,” said Hambling. “It may be a large incompetence by the Russians. The Ukrainians may have discovered some sneaky tactics they can use.”
This is not the first time that Bayraktar has played an important role in armed conflict.
A small country in Azerbaijan will use a small Turkish drone to have a devastating impact on Armenian troops in 2020, decisive for years of stalemate over a disputed enlave. I put an end to it.
Video released from Azerbaijan Shows a drone that shatters cannons, tanks, and army emplacements surrounded by trenches that provided no protection from the violent death that fell from above.
Turkish drones also had a major impact in the fight against Russian-made military equipment Libya and Syria..
The drone is manufactured by Baykar Technology and its chief technology officer, Selçuk Bayraktar, is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“I’m sure it will sell very well,” Hambling said.
Many experts argue that another type of unmanned weapons system would be even more useful to the Ukrainian army. The so-called Kamikaze drone is a vehicle packed with explosives, a smart guided missile that is launched a few miles away from the target. Two Israeli companies, Harop and Hero, are creating versions of these drones. The U.S. military Switchblade, Its larger version can destroy tanks.The weapon is not approved for export outside the UK
Turkey strives to maintain friendly relations with both Russia and the West, and was sanctioned by the United States in December 2020 over the purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. President Erdogan did not say on Monday whether Turkey would buy more Russian weapons.
“In the current situation, it would be premature to talk about what the future is showing now,” he said. Monday According to Reuters, he is visiting Germany. “We have to see what the conditions bring. We have to maintain the friendship between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Putin.”