Appearing on some of the Instagram feeds are nocturnal aerial strikes against Russian supply convoys. Where are the strikes coming from? They are coming from Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) fitted with MAM laser-guided smart bombs. MAM stands for Mini Akıllı Mühimmat, or Smart Micro Munition).
The TB2 is built by the Turkish firm Baykar and entered service in 2014. Currently, the Ukrainian Air Force has six TB2 UCAVs known to be in active service though in October 2020, an order for 48 more drones was submitted. How many of those were ultimately delivered isn't known. The Ukrainian Navy also operates a handful of drones with an order for another four examples likely on hold due to the conflict.
The TB2 requires a three man crew in the ground control station and the UCAV itself is 21 feet long with a wingspan of 39 feet. Power comes from a 100 horsepower IC (internal combustion) petrol engine which can push the drone to a maximum speed of 138 miles per hour with a regular cruise speed of 80 miles per hour. A 79 gallon fuel capacity can provide up to 27 hours of endurance. Range is limited to 93 miles with communication between the drone and control station occurring via line-of-sight propagation (that is, direct communication from the control station to the drone). The TB2 has a maximum ceiling of 27,000 feet though the usual operational altitude is lower at 18,000 feet.
The TB2 has four hardpoints to mount laser-guided smart munitions. To deliver the ordnance, the TB2 has Electro-Optic/Infrared/Laser Designation imaging/targeting sensor systems. This can be switched out with multi-mode Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar if mission requirements demand it.
Ukrainian TB2s are usually outfitted with the MAM-C or the MAM-L. The MAM series of weapons is also built by Turkey, developed by ROKETSAN and entering service around 2016. The MAM-C has a semi-active laser seeker with a maximum range of nearly 5 miles. It can be fitted with either a multi-purpose warhead (combining blast fragmentation, incendiary, and armor piercing capability) or a more standard high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The larger MAM-L also has a nearly 5 mile range but if fitted with a GPS system, it can reach a little over 8 miles. Like the MAM-C, the MAM-L can be fitted with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead but also a tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank to defeat ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) typically fitted to main battle tanks or can be fitted with a lethal thermobaric warhead which consumes oxygen to create a massive explosion and shock wave. Also, the MAM-L can be set to detonate on impact or proximity detonate.
Some of the video feeds show TB2 strikes on Russian self-propelled surface-to-air missile systems (such as the 9K37 Buk, NATO codenamed SA-11 Gadfly or the modernized version, the SA-17 Grizzly) as well as supply vehicles. The former is a prime target as such missiles pose a very real threat to Ukrainian air power. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Ukrainian army fields some 72 9K37 systems though how many of them survived the initial Russian strike is unknown. As for hitting supply columns, some of the feeds show hits against fuel tankers or trucks likely to be carrying munitions. It would appear that these attacks on supply lines is having an effect as other reports state that Russian equipment is simply being abandoned for lack of fuel. A military runs on “beans and bullets” but also fuel and lubricants. Machinery cannot move if it has no fuel to run.
It is also shocking the lack of convoy discipline in the Russian columns within the combat theater of operations. They use closed column which means less than 100 meters between vehicles. In some cases, the vehicles are back to back. This makes them highly vulnerable to air attack and any hit to one vehicle will most likely cause damage to surrounding vehicles. For example, U.S. Marine Corps doctrine is open column in active war zones with spacing of up to 200 meters between vehicles to reduce the vulnerability against air strikes and lessen the chance one hit on a vehicle takes out others. Of course, the further apart vehicles are reduces mutual support.
Originally posted on February 27, 2022.
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