Just a few days after the crash of the United States MQ-9 Reaper combat drone (UCAV) in the Black Sea, still in the same area, news emerged of a similar incident. Involving (again) the Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet belonging to the Russian Air Force, this time the opponent is the Bayraktar TB2 combat drone belonging to the Ukrainian Navy. However, the difference is that Bayraktar TB2 was not successfully dropped.
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A Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 was reportedly attacked by a Su-27 Flanker, days after the US Air Force accused the Russian fighter of attacking an MQ-9 Reaper drone.
According to reports in local Turkish media, the Su-27 is believed to have used jet wash on the Turkish drone to disrupt the drone's thrust. Jet wash is basically the turbulence that forms at the rear of an airplane as it passes through the air.
However, that wasn't enough to make the drone lose its operational capability, which is why the Bayraktar TB2 survived the aerial 'duel'. It is not known why the Russian Su-27 pilots did not shoot down the TB2 using an air-to-air missile. Later there were allegations that the Russian pilot could not identify the ownership of the drone.
The video shows the two attempts made by the Su-27 to bring down the Bayraktar TB2. It is important to note that Russia reserves the right to shoot down the drone. Some military observers also noted that it is possible that the Russian fighter jets were not armed with air-to-air missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry has so far not commented on this report.
The report comes five days after the Russian Su-27 made global headlines after the US Air Force alleged that it had brought down an MQ-9 Reaper drone on March 14, 2023.
- Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone
At the beginning of the Ukrainian war, the Bayraktar TB2 drone emerged as the 'ideal weapon' which was believed to have the ability to change the course of the war. In fact, these drones assist in several strategic missions, such as assisting in attacks on the Russian cruiser RTS Moskva.
However, media reports indicate that these drones have largely disappeared from the battlefield. The sudden disappearance of the Bayraktar TB2 drone has somewhat puzzled military analysts who have been trying to figure out the motive behind the action.
Turkey has reportedly supplied 50 TB2 units to Ukraine. However, the Russian side claims to have downed far more TB2 drones than Kyiv allegedly received from Ankara. Russian media reports in December 2022 noted that the Turkish drones did not perform as well in Libya, Syria and especially during the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Some analysts believe that Russia has learned from its mistakes and increased the effectiveness of its layered air defense system due to the extensive deployment of the Bayraktar TB2.
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