Baykar says a Bayraktar TB2 carried 16 Skydagger FPV drones and released two that hit test targets

TLDR

• Baykar says a Bayraktar TB2 took off with 16 Skydagger FPV drones and released two, which struck targets.¹
• The TB2 relayed the operators' link; Defence Blog says Baykar gave no test date or post-release flight time.¹²
• Baykar's CEO says a TB2 relay could extend 15 km FPV reach to thousands of kilometres, Defence Blog reports.²

Baykar said on 4 November that a Bayraktar TB2 took off from its Keşan Flight Training and Test Center in Edirne, northwestern Türkiye, carrying 16 FPV kamikaze drones made by Skydagger, flew to a test site and released two of them, which it says struck their designated targets "with pinpoint accuracy".¹ The company says the drones were controlled by operators through a connection established via the TB2.¹ Anadolu Agency, reporting Baykar's statement, describes the TB2 as an airborne communications relay for the two drones released.³

Defence Blog says the 16 drones were carried eight under each wing, that Selçuk Bayraktar shared footage captioned "16 x FPV Drone Drop Test", and that the footage shows both released drones diving into targets and detonating.² It adds that Baykar did not say what happened to the other 14 drones or when the test took place.² Aviacionline, which attributes its account to the company's information and to Selçuk Bayraktar's social media posts, says the drones sit on racks adapted for carriage and release in flight.⁴

Defence Blog, citing the Turkish daily Akşam, reports that Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar said FPV drones normally reach about 15 km and that carrying them on a TB2 and relaying their signals through it could extend their reach to thousands of kilometres, which he described as opening the way to a new warfare doctrine.² Defence Blog says that figure depends on the TB2's own range and its satellite or line-of-sight links, and that Baykar has not published detailed data on the drones' flight time after release or how many can be controlled at once.² It also says Baykar began working on the concept in 2024, when it signed an agreement with Croatian FPV maker ORQA at the SAHA Expo in Istanbul to integrate FPV drones onto the TB2, citing Defense Mirror.²

Aviacionline says Baykar quotes more than 18 hours of flight time for the TB2, compared with the 12 minutes of endurance that the maker of the Skydagger RTF 10-inch publishes for the drone with a warhead.⁴ Anadolu adds that the TB2 entered service with the Turkish Armed Forces in 2014 and can carry up to four guided munitions, including Roketsan's MAM-L and MAM-C.³ All four accounts rest on Baykar's release and Selçuk Bayraktar's footage, so there is no independent confirmation of the test results.¹²³⁴

Why it matters: according to Baykar, a TB2 released two of 16 carried Skydagger FPV drones that hit test targets through a TB2 relay link, while the reach claim is the CEO's as reported by Defence Blog and Baykar has given no test date, post-release flight time or independent verification.¹²