The Future of Warfare Belongs to Old Drones With New Tricks
Summary
Baykar has redesigned its Bayraktar TB2 drone to carry up to 16 one-way drones and relay communications, giving the older aircraft a new role as battlefield technology changes quickly. The article says the TB2’s earlier front-line role declined as Russian air defenses and electronic warfare improved, and argues that upgrading existing platforms can help address the long timelines for developing new weapons.Key Facts
- The Bayraktar TB2 is an unmanned aircraft made by Turkish company Baykar.
- The article says the TB2 was widely used by Ukraine early in the war but was rarely seen by mid-2023.
- Baykar has reconfigured the TB2 to carry 16 one-way unmanned aircraft and act as their communications relay.
- The article attributes the TB2’s reduced front-line use to improved Russian air defenses and electronic warfare, as well as the spread of smaller, cheaper first-person-view drones.
- A Government Accountability Office analysis cited in the article says U.S. weapons programs take more than 12 years on average from program start to delivery of usable equipment.
- The article says more than $2.4 trillion is earmarked for developing and acquiring the Pentagon’s most costly weapons programs.
- The F-15 has remained in service through upgrades to its radar, avionics and weapons since it was designed in the 1960s.
- A modernization program aims to keep the B-52, first introduced in 1955, flying beyond 2050.
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