KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

Bayraktar TB2

About

About Bayraktar TB2

TB2 has a maximum take-off weight of approximately 700 kilograms, useful load of 150 kilograms and endurance above 20 hours. Its triple-redundant flight-control system manages taxi, take-off, cruise and landing, while line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications connect the aircraft with its ground station.

Electro-optical and infrared payloads provide surveillance and target designation, and four underwing stations carry precision-guided weapons. The newer TB2T-AI configuration adds onboard AI, terrain-referenced visual navigation and autonomous route planning, extending the aircraft's ability to operate through interference and reduced external navigation support.

Capabilities

Source-backed capabilities

  • Operating environments: 27-hour, 3-minute endurance-record flight, Operational aerial surveillance and combat missions
  • Control modes: Operator Supervised Autonomy
  • Long-endurance flight

    Demonstrated - 2024-09-11 - Baykar retired the first Bayraktar TB2 airframe to enter service after it surpassed 10,000 flight hours.

    Source
  • Long-endurance flight

    Demonstrated - Completed the documented 27-hour, 3-minute flight record. - environment: 27-hour, 3-minute endurance-record flight

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  • GNSS-denied navigation

    Claimed - Navigate without GPS using onboard sensor fusion. - environment: Operational aerial surveillance and combat missions

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  • ISR and tactical support

    Claimed - Conduct persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. - environment: Operational aerial surveillance and combat missions

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  • Target acquisition

    Claimed - Acquire and track targets for engagement. - environment: Operational aerial surveillance and combat missions

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Operations

  • Operating Milestone

    1.25 million+ - 2026-08-20 - Baykar reports more than 1.25 million cumulative operational flight hours for the Bayraktar TB2 fleet.

    Source

Supply

Supply / Components

  • Bayraktar TB2

    Euroflir Optronic System For Tb2 - Perception - Safran Electronics & Defense - Safran Electronics & Defense Euroflir optronic systems and navigation technologies are being integrated on Baykar TB2 drones - source: safran-group.com

    Source
  • Bayraktar TB2

    Eo Ir Payload - Perception - Aselsan - Aselsan CATS EO/IR payloads are used as domestic sensor payloads on Bayraktar TB2 UAVs after the Wescam export cutoff - source: baykartech.com

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Research

  • UNMANNED IMPACT AVIATION COMPLEX TASKS «BAYRAKTAR TB2»

    2021-01-25 - Research Publication - The article analyzes the world experience of using reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles in operations of recent decades, experience and conditions of use of reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles «Bayraktar TB2» in military conflicts.

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Timeline

  • Baykar flies turbo-engine Bayraktar TB2T-AI UCAV

    2025-02-22 - Product Launch - Baykar announced the first flight of Bayraktar TB2T-AI, a turbo-engine and AI-enabled variant of the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV. The aircraft introduces improved speed, altitude performance, and AI-supported flight capability. Baykar said it had signed export agreements with 34 countries for TB2 and 11 countries for AKINCI at the time.

    Source
  • First Bayraktar TB2 airframe retires after more than 10,000 flight hours

    2024-09-11 - Capability - Baykar retired the first Bayraktar TB2 airframe to enter service after it surpassed 10,000 flight hours. The S5 tail-numbered aircraft entered the fleet in 2014 and will continue at Baykar for training and test flights. Baykar framed the retirement as an operational airframe lifecycle milestone for the TB2 fleet.

    Source

Context

Market context

Bayraktar TB2 is a tactical MALE UAS developed by Baykar for remotely piloted and autonomous missions.

  • Target environment: Military airspace, border areas, maritime patrol zones and tactical operating environments.
  • Workflow context: Persistent ISR, target acquisition, tactical reconnaissance and precision strike support.
  • Deployment model: Defence UAV system operated by military and government customers.
  • Commercial maturity: Mature exported defence UAV with extensive operational use across multiple countries.
  • Adoption constraints: Requires ground control infrastructure, operator training, weapons authorization where armed, airspace coordination and sustainment support.
  • Market position: One of the most widely recognized tactical MALE UAV systems in modern defence markets.
  • Adjacent products: Tactical MALE UAV for reconnaissance, surveillance and combat-support missions.

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