Türkiye’s Baykar introduces new long-range attack K2 drone

Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar on Saturday unveiled a new kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicle, the K2, in a video set to Waltz No. 2, featuring artificial intelligence-based flight and targeting systems.

The K2 is capable of autonomous swarm flight and uses AI vision for navigation, targeting and engagement, it said.

It has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), carries a 200-kilogram (440-pound) warhead, and has a maximum takeoff weight of 800 kilograms.

The drone can take off from short or unprepared strips and is designed to be reused for multiple deployments.

Baykar is one of Türkiye's leading drone manufacturers and has exported UAVs to multiple countries. Its existing platforms include the tactical Bayraktar TB2, the high-altitude Bayraktar

Akinci, the ship-capable Bayraktar TB3, and the jet-powered Bayraktar Kizilelma.

In the promotional video, the drone is seen taking off, flying in formation and performing coordinated maneuvers, with the famous waltz composed by Dmitri Shostakovich playing in the background.

Waltz No. 2 is an iconic, hauntingly nostalgic piece known for its "dark cabaret" style, combining cheerful cabaret vibes with undertones of melancholy and dark, dramatic harmonies, written by the Soviet composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich in 1938.