Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Did Turkish-Made TB2 Drones Help Sink the Moskva?

Bayraktar TB2 Drone. Image Credit: Ukraine Military.
Bayraktar TB2 Drone of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Did Turkish TB2 Drones Help Sink the Moskva? – According to a Ukrainian government official who spoke to Nikkei Asia, the sinking of the Russian flagship Moskva may have been caused by an attack using Turkish-made TB2 attack drones.

Defense analyst Arda Mevlutoglu backed up the claims, telling Nikkei Asia that open-source intelligence showed a TB2 mobile ground-control station was seen in Odessa last week, indicating that the unmanned aerial vehicles may have been used to attack and sink the Russian ship.

“Bayraktar TB2 is much smaller, with a low radar cross-section and lower flight speed, making it very likely that it fell below the detection threshold of Moskva radars,” Mevlutoglu said.

He added that the primary radar system used on the Russian ship is based on outdated technology which is only capable of detecting fixed-wing combat aircraft, helicopters, bombers, and cruise missiles. The Bayraktar TB2 drone would have been undetectable to the ship.

A Turkish think tank also suggested that even if the drone wasn’t responsible for the missile strike that took down the Moskva, it may have acted as a distraction while Ukrainian anti-ship missiles opened fire.

Did TB2 Drones Attack Or Observe?

Last week, after Russia confirmed that its 12,000-ton Black Sea ship suffered a major fire and explosion before it sank, reports suggested that at least one Ukrainian TB2 drone observed the attack.

Ukraine took credit for the attack and said that the ship was struck by two Neptune missiles.

Neptune Anti-Ship Missile

Neptune Anti-Ship Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

According to Ukrainian officials, the TB2 drone was used to distract Moskva’s air defenses – however, some expressed doubt over the claims as the Moskva uses two systems to protect against missiles. These are the long-range SA-N-6 Grumble, which could have been used against the Bayraktar TB2 drones. The ship’s AK-630 cannons could have been used to counter incoming missiles.

The fact that the TB2 drone can also only carry weapons just 150kg in weight also appears to indicate that it was not directly responsible for the attack but instead used as a distraction while the Neptune missiles were fired at the ship.

Moskva

“Moskva” (“Moscow”) (ex-“Slava”, which means “Glory”) is the lead ship of the Project 1164 Atlant class of guided missile cruisers in the Russian Navy. This warship was used in the 2008 Russia-Georgia War. The Black Sea. Sevastopol bay. This photo was taken from a boat.

Moskva

Moskva Cruiser. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The United States government is so far unable to confirm or deny reports that the TB2 drone was responsible for the attack.

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

Advertisement