Defence in brief: Bayraktar TB2s for Croatia

Croatia has ordered six Bayraktar TB2 uncrewed combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) from Turkey’s Baykar Technologies according to a 21st November Baykar press release. The contract was signed in Zagreb and valued at €67.01 million excluding VAT, with the drones expected in service by the end of 2025. “I would like to emphasise that this is a weapon that is badly needed not only by the army in combat operations, but also as a system that can monitor our borders and can be used, for example, by the Ministry of Agriculture,Croatia’s Defence Minister Anušić said. The Bayraktar TB2s will be supplied with an initial set of weapons and an electro-optical reconnaissance suite as well as a training package, training simulators, and a set of spares. Baykar technicians will also spend two years in Croatia, which is the length of the warranty that comes with the systems. The

Bayraktar TB2 has had a rapid rise to export success following the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war where the system proved valuable in engaging Armenian positions and air defence systems, however, the system has proven to be less impactful in Ukraine – especially once Russia’s air defence network became established and more effective. Nevertheless, at least 257 Bayraktars have been delivered to customers including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Poland. The drones provide an endurance of 27 hours and can carry up to four guided munitions. It can be paired with the MAM-L and MAM-C guided munitions from Roketsan, weighing 22kg and 6.5kg respectively, with ranges of 15km and 8km. The munitions are laser guided and provide sufficient lethality to engage armoured vehicles and personnel.