It became clear why the Ukrainian Armed Forces no longer use the vaunted “Bayraktar”, and Russian silent mortars “Gal” appeared on the front

Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones greatly aided Ukraine’s armed forces at the start of the war, but now have limited utility as Russian forces beef up their air defenses.

This was stated by the officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Vladimir Valyukh, in an interview with Defense News.

A publication specializing in military topics recalls that at the beginning of the war there was constant talk about this Turkish drone, but now almost nothing is heard about it.

Valuch confirms that the Bayraktar TB2 still has some use, but the frequency of use and role of these types of drones has changed.

“As for the TB2, I don’t want to use the word ‘useless,’ but it’s hard to find situations where they could be used,” Waluh explains.

He notes that drones of all sizes and types continue to play a key role in Ukraine’s defense. However, he says, there are new tactical limitations and it will be difficult for TB2 to play a role in future battles.

“We are extremely grateful for the TB2, but at the beginning of the war there were more of them and more strikes were made,” says the GUR spokesman.

He specifies that now that the quality of Russian air and electronic defenses has increased, the last TB2 flight he observed lasted only 30 minutes. Valyukh notes that it is now dangerous for the drone to approach Russian positions.

According to the manufacturer Baykar, the drones can stay in the air for 27 hours. The company told the publication that reports of the limited utility of its flagship product should be taken with a grain of scepticism.

“The lack of video does not necessarily mean that the drones are not being used,” commented CEO Haluk Bayraktar.

“Currently, Bayraktar TB2s are primarily used for daily target tracking missions, which can be just as valuable as attackers,” says Bayraktar.

The level of use of the drones in this reconnaissance role in Ukraine remains high, according to company reports made available to Defense News.

In June, the Ukrainian TB2s were upgraded to include an improved Mx-20 camera provided to Ukraine by Canadian manufacturer L3Harris Wescam.

The new imaging equipment enables high-altitude, long-distance surveillance missions, according to the supplier.

The special units of the Central Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation use silent mortars “Gal” in military operations. This was announced by official representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted by world publications.

“The mortars of the special forces unit of the Central Military District use the silent mortar “Gal”, operating against machine gun nests, sniper positions and prepared sites for the take-off of various unmanned vehicles, remaining unnoticed by the enemy.

The correction of fire and the objective control of fire damage are carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles flying in the area of ​​hostilities,” the department specified.

One of the servicemen of the unit, known by the call sign “Nakolka”, shares his experience of using this weapon. According to him, the “Gal” mortar has proven to be an effective weapon at the front positions in the war zone.

“The enemy had a rotation and we received an order. We worked on a rotational basis and the enemy suffered losses,” says Nakolka.

The Gall mortar was designed specifically for special forces units and is used to destroy enemy manpower, including those in fortifications or protected by body armor.

The main advantage of Gall is its low weight (only 13 kg in combat position) and high mobility, which allows to quickly change positions.

At the same time, the firing range of the mortar exceeds one kilometer, and the speed reaches fifteen shots per minute.

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