Bayraktar TB-2 Returns To Strike Missions Against Russian Forces

After a long absence from frontline strike operations, Ukraine’s Bayraktar TB-2 drones have once again been employed in combat roles, targeting Russian naval assets and troops on the Black Sea coast. Once hailed as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, the TB-2 had been largely relegated to reconnaissance and surveillance roles due to its vulnerability against layered Russian air defense (Pantsir-S1, Buk, Tor) and electronic warfare systems.

The recent resurgence of TB-2 strikes highlights Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to suppress and dismantle Russian air defense networks, creating temporary operational corridors for legacy drones to re-enter the fight.

Bayraktar TB-2: From Early Success To Retreat

• First combat use in Ukraine: October 2021, when a TB-2 destroyed a Russian-backed separatist D-30 howitzer in Donbas.
• 2022 impact: Instrumental in halting Russian armored columns toward Kyiv, and pivotal in operations such as the recapture of Snake Island.
• Cultural significance: So successful early in the war that a popular Ukrainian wartime song was written about the TB-2.
• Attrition: By March 2022, at least 26 TB-2s destroyed (Oryx confirmed), with actual numbers likely higher.
• Adaptation: By 2023, TB-2s were withdrawn from strike roles, used mainly for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and limited strikes in less-contested airspace.

Resurgence In 2025: New Strikes Against Russia

Recent Ukrainian strikes show TB-2s returning to combat employment:

• September 2025: Attack on a Russian boat and airborne troops at Tendrivska Spit.
• Earlier strikes: TB-2s destroyed another Russian boat near Zaliznyi Port, and in June targeted a Russian landing craft in Kherson Oblast.
• Video evidence: Footage from TB-2 strike cameras confirms use of small guided munitions, allowing multiple precision attacks per sortie.

These renewed missions were enabled by Ukraine’s systematic SEAD/DEAD campaign, targeting Russian radars and SAMs in Crimea and Kherson with:

• AGM-88 HARM missiles from Ukrainian fighters.
• Long-range glide bombs and drones attacking radar sites.
• Boat-launched drones with Starlink links disrupting Russian coverage.

The elimination of multiple radar systems (Niobium-SV, Kasta-2E2, Sky-SV, S-300VM) has opened air defense gaps in western Crimea and along the Kherson coast.

Why TB-2 Still Matters

Although outdated against advanced air defenses, the TB-2 retains unique battlefield value:

• Risk tolerance: Loss of a TB-2 is less damaging than losing a manned aircraft and crew.
• Dynamic targeting: Can loiter and engage moving naval and ground targets in real time.
• Force multiplier: Complements Ukraine’s standoff strike arsenal (Storm Shadow, SCALP-EG) by engaging softer or fleeting targets.
• Industrial resilience: Bayraktar TB-2s are now produced domestically in Ukraine, despite repeated Russian strikes on the Kyiv factory.

Even if not reintroduced en masse, selective TB-2 strikes reflect Ukraine’s ability to exploit temporary air defense weaknesses and demonstrate adaptability in drone warfare.

Implications For Russian Air Defense

The renewed TB-2 strikes suggest:

• Ukrainian SEAD effectiveness: Russian air defenses in Crimea and Kherson are under sustained pressure.
• Coverage gaps: Russia may be struggling to maintain its once-vaunted layered A2/AD shield.
• Drone-on-drone warfare: Both sides increasingly deploy interceptor drones, forcing adaptations in tactics.

If TB-2s can once again fly attack missions near Russia’s Black Sea bastions, it indicates serious cracks in Russian situational awareness after years of attrition.

Conclusion

The Bayraktar TB-2’s return to strike missions is more symbolic than strategic in scale, but it demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to adapt legacy platforms to evolving battlefield conditions. With Russia’s air defenses stretched and degraded, drones like the TB-2 — once written off as obsolete — can still carve out a niche as expendable, flexible, and dynamic strike assets.

The TB-2’s reappearance also underscores how SEAD/DEAD operations are unlocking opportunities for both legacy and advanced systems to operate where once they could not.