Turkish defense company Baykar has tested a new role for its Bayraktar TB2 strike drone, turning it into an airborne carrier for smaller FPV aircraft. The UAV took off with 16 Skydagger drones aboard, two of which were released during the flight and successfully struck their designated targets, according to Turkish newspaper Akşam.
The demonstration took place near Kesan in Edirne province, northwestern Turkey. The TB2 departed from the Kesan Flight Training and Test Center and headed toward a testing range. Once the two FPV drones had been launched, ground-based operators guided them toward their targets using a communications link provided by the larger aircraft.
The key feature of the system is that Bayraktar TB2 does more than transport smaller drones. It also acts as an airborne relay, transmitting signals between the FPV units and their operators on the ground. This allows the aircraft to serve as both a launch platform and a communications hub for remotely controlled drones.
Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar told Akşam that the technology could significantly expand the operational reach of FPV drones. He explained that conventional systems typically operate within a range of about 15 kilometers. By deploying them from a TB2 and using the aircraft to maintain communications, however, it could become possible to carry out missions thousands of kilometers away.
Bayraktar believes the development could pave the way for a fundamentally different approach to warfare. Nevertheless, the company has yet to disclose the system’s detailed technical specifications or explain what conditions would be necessary to achieve the claimed operational distances.