The Bayraktar drone was intentionally made out of commercial parts who are readily available to make it extremely cheap and easy to use. The entire purpose of the drone is to create the most cost-effective domestic Turkish drone as possible. Within that framework, it did use foreign parts. Not because it couldn't make it itself but mainly because it would be cheaper, quicker and more available. There already existed Turkish equivelants. This is the reason why every single domestic component is already replaced by domestic equivelants almost immediatly after suppliers stopped delivering parts, including the FLIR and engine. Not only that but it even upgraded it with SATCOM capability and already started developing the next TB-3 variant.
There was nothing intentional here, you imported because you simply cannot produce the said parts by yourself. So lets avoid these silly excuses. Given how your country has been sanctioned, it is foolish to rely on import intentionally for your assets. Morever, it is not just your Bayraktar drone that is heavily relying on foreign components but almost every single UAV you have.
Third the Bayraktar drone wasnt suppose to be stealthy,
I never claimed it was, matter of fact I think it is delusory to think it is. This is what a more stealthy UAV looks like, the Iranian shahed/simorgh.
it is an tactical class drone that by virtue of its small size and slow speed already makes it hard to detect and counter.
You defined 99% of the UAVs around.
These can therefore be made at an unprecidented rate of 48 per year.
48 per year for a UAV of that low tier UAV is nothing impressive, matter of fact it is lackluster. I suppose this low rate of production is due your limitations, i.e need to import parts.
This is why the Bayraktar is extremely succesfull,
There is nothing "extremely successful" about that UAV as I have already demonstrated. A great deal of them have been shot down and most of its "successes" are against groups/nations with very low level air defence capability. It is no surprise that a nation that is not prepared to deal with UAVs will be vulnerable to them. This does not mean there is anything especial about your UAVs, which are just low tier systems.
There does not exist an Iranian counter part by its sheer nature,
Iran has multiple UAVs in that class of your TB2 which is just a low tech UAV. Here is one example: Iranian M-6 Uav:
and its also the reason why Turkey is a more capable and advanced drone power then Iran.
Iran is more advanced than Turkey in every aspect of UAV technology. You seem to think importing bunch of hardware and putting them together makes you an advanced UAV power. Iran is not only producing next level UAVs of the jet powered nature, but those jet engines are actually being produced by Iran itself.
This is not to say Iran is bad by any margin, they have drones aswell but you couldnt compete. Having a rocket strapped with an RPG-7 at one point doesnt mean shit in the modern era where its not all about hardware but software, particularly AI capabilties and automasation.
Perhaps you need to spend a little more time researching the UAV technology of other nations you're talking about instead of day dreaming too much about your own propaganda. AI and automation are playing a heavy role in Iran's UAVs today.
All this whilst the Iranian drone industry is entirely based on copies from foreign components and cheap reverse-engineered subsystems.
Reverse engineering is a far more difficult task then simply importing like Turkey does. One requires very robust underlying industry, other relies on...paying cash to a foreign nation.
Dont think we dont know that the engines being used in Iranian drone are completely copy-paste of existing ROTAX
Rotax is one engine Iran uses, Iran is producing multiple different types of engines ranging from piston to jet. Even if they R/Ed systems, once again as above, this is more impressive than a import based system of Turkey/Saudi Arabia etc.
Here is Iran's most recent turbofan engine that will be used for UAVs that utilises single crystal blades:
See thread below for more details:
I would like to see this engine doing after burning. how is iran getting access to titanium? you need titanium or similar metals that are light, extremely strong and resistant to very high levels of heat during combustion. can't make effective compressors and turbines without titanium...
defence.pk
Here are a whole array of (smaller) piston engines that Iran was producing over a decade ago:
If you wish to be informed further, visit Iranian section and related UAV/engine section.
The FLIR systems are older generation, less capable and heavier then their supposedly counter-parts.
Source for this claim?
Moreover, not everyone is importing Canadian sensors like Turkey is:
Canadian block on drone parts shows Turkey’s defense industry still not independent
Despite major efforts in the last decade, Turkey still requires the import of key technologies for its homegrown defense articles.
www.defensenews.com
So even if Iran's E/O systems fall short of their western counterpart, which I am sure they do, then at least Iran is still producing those systems internally and not risking its systems to the side effects of sanctions by relying on importing those assets, despite how advanced they may be.
he entire point of Iranian drone industry is precisely just that, to have a drone industry. Your drones arent competitive, nor cutting edge in any way.
Iranian UAVs have achieved feats in practise that your UAVs have fallen short of. Whilst you're busy celebrating your low tier UAVs being used against adversaries with low level air defence, this is Iran:
In the above attack, Iran struck one of the most important facilities in S.Arabia, a country which has a very robust air defence. They and the Americans did not even know what hit them.
This single attack was more impressive than your UAV feats put together.
You go through life copying existing foreign drone and subsystems and having the audacity to critisize Turkey for being completely honest about its use of foreign component.
News flash: Every country copied systems at some point. Even the Americans. That is not anything news. Actually you're not being honest, Turkey attempted to deny it uses foreign components, but it was caught out. You're admitting because you have no other choice.
Now that we have the first and the most least capable drone out of the way, we can go and talk about the big boys in the Turkish drone industry: Anka, Aksungur and Akinci. All of whome were made to be peak Turkish aeronautical drone engineering and you could not hold a candle to.
All of which are using foreign engines and hardware yet again. This is the difference between Iran and Turkey. You celebrate hardware you are not really producing whereas Iran is actually producing its own systems
And lastly, contrary to Iran we actually put a heavy emphasis on everything around the drones itself. Specialised ammunition allows for greater capabilties for example.
Iran is showing a far greater emphasis on"specialised" munitions. Iranian UAVs today are being tested for Air-air roles. Moreover, there are so many other different types of weapon systems Iran is utilising for its UAVs, from glide bombs to E/W systems. Your attempts at disinformation are failing.
Again i want to reiterate, Iran isnt doing bad considering its position and situation. Kudos to the Iranian engineers for doing what they do, but it just doesnt come close to Turkish drone technology. If it makes you feel better Turkish technology doesnt even come close to American either. Its now only just beginning to approach Israel in that regard.
To summarise, the only area of UAV technology Turkey is ahead of Iran is when it comes to imports, nothing else. Frankly I think is a satirical to do a comparison analysis between Iran and Turkey because Iran is on a higher level of technological self-sufficiency. Bunch of piston powered UAVs whose engines, sensors and others are importing do not turn you magically into a UAV power. Even the likes of S.Arabia and UAE could do the same, I guess we should also consider them UAV power? Turkey is not as behind technologically as the likes of Saudi Arabia, but please be sensible and refrain trying to compare yourself to Iran. You are not in the same league but
at-least one league below Iran. You seem to be under the impression that we should pretend to be ignorant of the fact Turkey is not a self-reliant nation technologically speaking. That is not how it works, until the day comes when you're not relying heavily on imports, then we cannot compare you to Iran because we are essentially comparing apples and oranges. Details matter. I understand your need to try and hide the reality or sugar coat it, but this is in vain.
There is an oceanic difference between Turkey and iran drone technology. Iranians always hype and praise themselves but we all know its propaganda.
You can tell the Saudis that their facilities going up in flames are just propaganda. As for Iran and Turkey, the ocean difference is that Iran actually produces its own hardware whilst the latter seems to be importing most of their hardware.
bulgarianmilitary.com
