Turkish defense technology prime Baykar successfully demonstrated the air-launch and communication relay of first-person-view (FPV) loitering munitions from a Bayraktar TB2 Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).
Carried out at Baykar’s Keşan Flight Training and Test Center, the test featured a modified Bayraktar TB2 equipped with underwing launcher racks carrying a total of 16 Skydagger FPV kamikaze drones (eight per side). During the flight, the TB2 released two Skydagger units, which were remotely piloted by ground operators using the parent UCAV’s airborne communications relay to navigate and strike designated ground targets.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: BAYRAKTAR TB2 FPV CARRIER INTEGRATION
Airframe Architecture & Underwing Dispenser Payloads
⚡ Lead Developer: Baykar Technology (Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center, Istanbul, Türkiye)
⚡ Host Platform: Bayraktar TB2 MALE UCAV (12-meter wingspan, ~700 kg maximum takeoff weight)
⚡ Dispenser Payload: Dual underwing multi-cell carriage racks fitted with 16x Skydagger FPV loitering munitions
⚡ Launch Profile: Airborne release from standoff loitering altitudes, followed by controlled gliding descent and terminal dive attack 
Airborne Communications Relay & Range Extension Mechanics
💥 Traditional FPV Limitation: Standard ground-launched FPV quadcopters are restricted by line-of-sight (LOS) radio horizons and limited battery capacities (~10–15 km operational radius)
💥 Airborne Relay Solution: The parent TB2 functions as an elevated high-gain repeater, bridging control signals and video feeds between ground operators and dispersed FPV drones over extended distances
💥 Operational Standoff: Decouples FPV deployment from immediate ground-station sightlines, allowing precision kinetic strikes against targets deep in adversary rear areas while keeping the parent UCAV outside short-range air defense envelopes
