Ukraine tests Turkish Bayraktar tactical UAS.

The first flight test of Bayraktar tactical unmanned aerial vehicles took place in Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

 Bayraktar TB2 (Picture source: Baykar Makina)

The Bayraktar Tactical UAS is a surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aircraft system (UAS) initially developed for the Turkish Armed Forces. The Bayraktar  has a cruising speed of 70 knots with an operational flight altitude of 24.000 feet, 24 hours of flight time and a communication range of 150 km and has a 12-m wing span, 650-kg maximum take-off weight and a 55-kg payload capacity.

“The first flight test of the Bayraktar UAV which has recently been in service with the Ukrainian army, took place,” the report says.

The ministry's press service notes that from the moment of accepting Bayraktar UAVs into service, it took less than three months of training to fly them in the Ukrainian sky.

“The flights at the airfield were preceded by a long simulator training, each pilot had to get a certain flight on the simulator. In addition, this unmanned complex requires serious organization of flights, which is similar to manned aircraft. We quickly lifted Bayraktar TB2 into the sky and started combat training”, the report says.