Drones carrying drones: Turkey turns Bayraktar TB2 into flying weapons carrier

Turkey is giving its Bayraktar TB2 combat drone a new role, turning it into an airborne carrier for smaller kamikaze drones. In a recent test, the Turkish unmanned aircraft carried 16 attack drones and released two of them to strike designated targets, demonstrating how a single drone could deploy multiple smaller weapons in the battlefield.

According to Turkish defence company Baykar, the test was conducted at the Keşan Flight Training and Test Center in northwestern Türkiye. The Bayraktar TB2 carried 16 Skydagger first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drones during the flight, releasing two of them over a designated test area. Both drones struck their assigned targets, while the TB2 acted as an airborne communications relay, allowing ground-based operators to control the smaller attack drones independently.

Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, described the development as a potential shift in battlefield operations, saying the integration could significantly extend the reach of smaller attack drones. "The Bayraktar TB2, carrying 16 Skydagger FPV drones and providing an airborne communications relay, is opening the door to a new doctrine on the battlefield," he said. He added that FPV drones, which typically have an average battlefield range of around 15 km, could reach targets thousands of kilometres away with the TB2 integration.

The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Turkey's Baykar. Designed to carry out intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and precision-strike missions, the drone combines long flight endurance with the ability to carry guided weapons. Its relatively low operating cost and combat record have made it one of Turkey's most widely exported military drones. It can carry a payload of up to 150 kg, including surveillance equipment and precision-guided munitions. Powered by a 100-horsepower engine, it has a maximum speed of 110 knots (204 kmph), a cruising speed of 90 knots (167 kmph) and an operational altitude of up to 16,000 feet. The aircraft has an endurance of more than 20 hours and a maximum operational range of 3,400 km. It supports both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communication systems, allowing it to operate over long distances.

Why is this significant in modern warfare? The development reflects a changing approach to drone warfare, where larger unmanned aircraft are increasingly being used to deploy smaller, expendable attack drones. By turning the Bayraktar TB2 into an airborne carrier, Turkey could give relatively small FPV kamikaze drones greater reach without requiring them to cover the entire distance from a ground launch point. The TB2's ability to act as a communications relay could also help operators control these drones over distances that would otherwise be difficult to cover. The concept could also enable a single aircraft to carry multiple smaller attackers for separate strikes, offering greater flexibility in modern battlefield operations.