The Bayraktar TB2 UAVs made a significant contribution to the success of the Peace Spring Operation by significantly increasing the reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces. During the Spring Shield Operation, the UAVs, flying in fleets for the first time, successfully destroyed many armored vehicles, howitzers, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and air defense systems. The Bayraktar TB2 UAV, participating as the primary element in the Spring Shield Operation, where UAVs were used as the first element in the combat field for the first time in the world's combat history, carried out 80% of all sorties performed by the participating UAVs. Despite all electronic warfare efforts, the Bayraktar TB2 UAVs successfully completed more than 2,000 hours of flight during the operation in the Idlib region of Syria. The fact that the Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, flying in fleets for the first time in the world's combat history, were effectively used in the operation attracted great attention in the world media.
The Bayraktar TB2 UAVs played a crucial role in ending the approximately 30-year occupation of Karabakh by Azerbaijan, becoming a symbol of hope for the Azerbaijani people. Azerbaijan launched a military operation against the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27, 2020. Forty-four days after the start of the operation, on November 10, 2020, the Azerbaijani Army ended the Armenian occupation and took control of Nagorno-Karabakh. During the operation against Armenia, the Azerbaijani Army used the Bayraktar TB2 UAVs developed nationally and originally by Baykar on all fronts. According to confirmed studies by defense analysts, many air defense systems, radar systems, tanks, armored vehicles, trucks, ammunition depots, positions, and units belonging to the Armenian Army were destroyed with the Bayraktar TB2 UAVs. The success of the Azerbaijani Army surprised the world, and it was commented by the world media and defense experts that Turkish UAVs changed the history of warfare, becoming a game-changer.
With the agreement signed with the Kuwait Ministry of Defense, Baykar started 2023 with a $370 million export contract for the Bayraktar TB2. With the export to Romania, Bayraktar TB2 UAVs entered the inventories of four NATO member countries and two EU member countries.
Managing all its projects with its own resources from the beginning, Baykar, starting from the beginning of the UAV R&D process in 2003, obtained 83% of its revenues from exports. According to data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) in 2021 and 2022, Baykar became the export leader in the defense and aviation sector. In 2022, with an export rate of 99.3% in the contracts signed, Baykar achieved $1.2 billion in exports. Export agreements have been signed with 32 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 UAV, 8 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI UAV, and a total of 33 countries to date.
