I like the expression of calling Bayrakhtar TP2s as the flying Kalashnikov, the flying AK-47 of drones.

Easy to maintain, easy to operate.

This is the first time that these drones are being tested. easy to maintain, easy to operate.

This is the first time that these drones are being tested, not only against Russian systems,

but also against Russian systems in the hands of the Russian military.

Welcome back to the Modern War Institute podcast.

I'm John Amble, editorial director at MWI, and in this episode, we are talking about a really fascinating subject.

I can almost guarantee that virtually every person listening to this has by now heard of

the TB2 by Rakhtar.

It's a Turkish-made, unmanned aircraft that has made a lot of headlines as the

Ukrainian military has used it very effectively against Russian forces since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But beyond those headlines, there's a really interesting story to be told about the

baryachtar. To tell that story, I'm joined in this episode by Dr. Chan Kasopolu. He is the director

of the

Security and Defense Studies program at Adam, a Turkish think tank, and is a non-resident

fellow at the Jamestown Foundation. He explains what forces drove the development of both

the Bairakhtar and other unmanned vehicles by Turkish defense industry, discusses the aircraft's

strong performance in Ukraine and other recent conflicts and

examines what that performance might tell us about drones and the future of war.

Before we get to the discussion, as always just a couple of quick notes.

First, if you aren't yet subscribed to the MWI podcast, you can find it wherever you get your

podcasts.

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