With the steps it has taken in the defense industry, Turkey has not only succeeded in its operations against terrorist organizations, but has also taken important steps in exports. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)/Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), which were actively used in operations against terrorists in the Syria and Iraq region, also played an active role in the Karabakh Victory. Lastly, we talked to the defense industry researcher and Editor of ‘SavunmaTR’, Şerafettin Bilgiç, about the story of Turkish UCAVs, which came to the fore in the Russia-Ukraine War and was talked about frequently.
“TO READ THE SUCCESS STORY CORRECTLY, WE NEED TO LOOK TO THE PAST”
What is the secret of the success of Turkish UCAVs?
As a matter of fact, it would be unreasonable to attribute Turkey's success in the field of unmanned technologies to a single reason. In other words, a mere engineering success or a single user success is not a factor for the success of such systems on the battlefield. To read the success story correctly, we need to look to the past. In other words, it would be more correct to express it like this: The world started using unmanned technologies in the 1990s. It started to be used actively in the middle of the years. This technology was first used in Turkey in 1994. Then there were the Heron situations that we all know. We couldn't even use the products we bought from Israel properly. The steps taken by Turkish entrepreneurs here have made our country one of the world leaders in unmanned technologies. In 2007, Baykar company started this journey by designing the "Bayraktar Mini UAV". In addition to Baykar, TUSAŞ also started working on unmanned aerial vehicles.
What was the role of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) here?
The attitude of the Turkish Armed Forces here also enabled the development of UAV technology. TSK is a very successful army in adapting to new technology compared to its rivals in the world. At the same time, since regional threats are high, they want to use these technologies in the field immediately. In addition to the acceptance of UAV technology by the TSK and its active use in the field, active feedback and development with defense industry companies focused work was the main factor in the development of technology. You cannot make rapid improvements in the products you buy from a foreign company because they do not want to share every technology with you, but Turkish defense industry companies have a structure that does not cause problems in actively working with the army. In other words, the cooperation between the defense industry sector and the Turkish Armed Forces has enabled the concept of "Turkish UAVs" to be heard around the world today.
“RUSSIA CANNOT COMPLETELY DOMINATE THE UKRAINE AIRSPACE”
Why can't Russian air defense systems hit Bayraktar TB2s?
In addition to the structural features of Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs, we also need to take into account the failure of Russian air defense systems. Russia, which has an air defense system at every layer from the lowest altitude to the highest altitude, had to have full control of the Ukrainian airspace. However, the inability of these systems to communicate and talk to each other makes each one of them fodder for Bayraktar TB2s. The use of Turkish UCAVs focused on the right targets by the Ukrainian Armed Forces is another key to the success achieved. In addition to all these reasons, the use of anti-tank ammunition and low altitude air defense systems given to Ukraine by Western countries in the field reduces the burden of Bayraktar TB2s and enables them to be used more effectively.
How will UCAVs be deployed to Turkish Republic Ship ANATOLIA (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Gemisi ANADOLU) and what kind of ship will TCG ANADOLU be?
Normally, only helicopters or warplanes, depending on very special war scenarios, served on LHD ships such as the Anadolu Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ship. While this kind of classical doctrinal logic is used in the examples of LHD ships abroad, the Turkish defense industry has gone beyond this logic in the original LHD ship model. As one of the world's most developed countries in UAV/UCAV technology, Turkey wants to use its success in this new generation technology for the Navy as well. In line with this purpose, the largest 110 UCAVs in different configurations, especially the foldable wing Bayraktar TB3, will be integrated into the Anadolu LHD. In the process of transforming Anadolu LHD into an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) ship, 50 Bayraktar TB3 UCAV platforms with foldable wings will be deployed to the ship. With the command center integrated into the Anadolu LHD, at least 10 Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs can be used in operations at the same time. The L400 Anadolu LHD Ship, whose main pushing and transfer system integration has been completed, continues its Port Acceptance Tests (HAT). It will be delivered to the Turkish Naval Forces (Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri) in December 2022. Sedef Shipyard stated that there were no problems with the calendar and that the works were continuing as planned. Anadolu LHD, which will be the flagship when delivered to the Turkish Navy, will also be the largest combat platform in the history of the Turkish navy.
“BAYRAKTAR TB2 HAS A VERY LOW RADAR TRACK”
UCAVs were at the forefront of the issues spoken in the Russian-Ukrainian War Turkish. What was the effect of Turkish UCAVs here? How did the Turkish UCAVs become so successful against Russia, which has advanced air defense systems and has a clear superiority in the Ukrainian airspace?
We know that there were at least 18 Bayraktar TB2s in Ukraine's inventory before the war. According to the information we obtained from open sources, another 16 units were delivered after the war started. Again, we estimate that three UCAVs fell or were crushed in the field. Accordingly, if we make a rough calculation, we can say that the total number of Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs in Ukraine's inventory is at least 31. We know that Bayraktar TB2 has a very low radar signature considering its structure, altitude and flight speed. In addition, the electronic warfare capacity is also high. It can communicate with the ground control station in an area as wide as the satellite's coverage area and can operate in a wider area, at a higher range.