Ukraine used a Turkish attack drone in the Donbas
The Ukrainian military has lifted into the air over the Donbas a Bayraktar TB2 attack drone purchased from Turkey, capable of carrying guided anti-tank missiles and aerial bombs. The drone flew to the Donbass from the southern regions of Ukraine through the Kherson, Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, after which it returned to the place of deployment.
Ukraine for the first time used the Bayraktar TB2 drone purchased from Turkey over the territory of combat operations in the Donbas, RIA Novosti reports.
The drone flew to the Donbass from the southern regions of Ukraine through the Kherson, Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, after which it returned to the place of deployment.
A week earlier, as a result of a drone strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the residential sector of the village of Alexandrovskoye near the city of Yenakiyevo, Donetsk region, a child born in 2016 was killed.
"The militants of the 59th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fulfilling a criminal order, used an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an improvised explosive device," the People's Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said.
In addition, a woman born in 1954 was injured, she survived and was hospitalized.
The Ukrainian state company Ukrspetsexport, which is part of the state concern Ukroboronprom, and the Turkish Baykar Makina signed an agreement on the purchase of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 attack drones for the Ukrainian army in January 2019.
These latest operational-tactical strike drones, in addition to high-tech characteristics, can also be pre-equipped with modern high-precision missile weapons to destroy armored vehicles, engineering and fortifications, as well as naval targets," the then President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.
According to him, this contract was "part of the measures to expand military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey and fully corresponds to the strategic course of Ukraine in NATO - its standards and the open world arms market, which successfully integrates the Ukrainian defense industry complex."
"We continue to rearm the Ukrainian army with modern models that meet NATO standards," the Ukrainian leader said.
A few months later, the then acting head of the Gorlovka administration, Ivan Prikhodko, reported that a Ukrainian drone had dropped a grenade on a residential building in the Nikitovsky district of the city. Gorlovka is under the control of the DPR. Prikhodko noted that as a result of the attack, a 70-year-old woman was injured.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude tactical strike unmanned aerial vehicle with a long flight duration. This UAV with four missiles on a suspension can stay in the air for more than 12 hours, this allows you to keep a constant watch and, after identifying targets, quickly move to the front line to launch missiles.
The Bayraktar TB2 has a wingspan of 12 meters, a maximum speed of 222 km / h, and a range of 150 km. The maximum take-off weight of such a drone is 650 kg, they are able to carry a weight of up to 55 kg. The manufacturer has provided that it can be equipped with guided anti-tank missiles and aircraft bombs.
Andrey Ermolov
