New Air-to-air Missiles to Enable Bayraktar Drones Defeat Iranian UAVs in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Bayraktar TB2 combat drones now come with new air-to-air missiles, making them more effective against noisy Iranian Kamikaze drones in the ongoing war in Kyiv.

"Soon our Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncıs will have air-to-air missiles; not only to engage drones but other enemy aircraft... we are conducting our tests," Haluk Bayraktar, the company's CEO, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) during SAHA Expo in Istanbul.

During the fair, a contract was signed between Roketsan and Baykar for the integration of the Sungur air defense missile to combat drones. The low-cost Sungur is effective against moving targets such as helicopters and drones.

“Using it from our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as an air-to-air missile will be a game changer,” Murat Ikinci, Roketsan general manager said at the fair.

Ukraine currently tries to intercept kamikaze UAVs used by Russia with fighter jets in its inventory but the use of UAVs will be a cost-effective solution for them.

The introduction of Iranian "Shahed-136" drones by Moscow has complicated the situation for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned against a "large-scale disaster" should the wave of kamikaze attacks on energy facilities continue through winter.

"In any case, you need to be ready with your countermeasures... We fully support Ukraine to defend their sovereignty," Bayraktar said.

He described kamikazes as slow and noisy UAVs deployed at low altitudes, making them "easy targets.