The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces has received the first units of Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), Daily Sabah reported late Monday. The rest of the units are set to be delivered gradually within the framework of a deal that was said to be signed between Morocco and the Turkish manufacturer Baykar in April. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) ordered a total of 13 such unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). It was also reported that a number of personnel attended a training program in Turkey in July.The country was already using French Heron drones and is set to introduce both the U.S.’ MQ-9B SeaGuardian and the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar Defence, primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces. The aircraft is monitored and controlled by an aircrew in the Ground Control Station, including weapons employment, via Türksat satellite. Bayraktar means “ensign” or “standard-bearer” in Turkish. The development of the UAV has been largely credited to Selçuk Bayraktar, a former MIT graduate student, and son-in-law of President Erdogan.
The Bayraktar TB2 UCAV’s capability in the field has been proven several times both by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the armies of the countries that acquired the drone. In Syria, this particular drone operating in cooperation with other air force elements caused a heavy blow to Bashar Assad elements in Idlib province. In Nagorno-Karabakh, they helped the Azerbaijani army to retake its lands occupied by Armenian forces, further contributing to its worldwide fame. They also gave decisive air support to Turkey’s ally in Libya and successfully guided airstrikes that assassinated senior leaders of the PKK terrorist group over the last two years.
Bayraktar TB2 Platform has a blended wing body design with its inverse V-Tail structure. Blended wing body design supports the lifting performance of the overall platform. Thrust is generated through the internal combustion engine placed between the tail booms. Monocoque platform is modular with detachable main items such as wing, tail boom, and V-Tails. All of the fuselage items are mostly made of carbon fiber composite parts whereas precision CNC machined aluminum parts are used at the junction sections of the platform. Fuel is stored within bladder tanks and fuel consumption is automatically balanced with solenoid valves. Variable pitch two blade propeller allows for medium altitude efficient flying.
