This drone is a great ally of Ukraine 4:18
(CNN) ––
"Those shiny tanks are being set on fire ––Bayraktar––, that's the new trend," read the lyrics of a popular Ukrainian song dedicated to the drone that ended up becoming one of the many symbols of Russian war resistance.
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The "Bayraktar" is so popular now that Ukrainians have even named their pets after this Turkish-made drone.
Last month, the mayor of Kyiv announced that a newborn lemur at the city zoo would be named Bayraktar.
Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a photo of another Bayraktar, a puppy at the Kyiv police dog training center.
Western and Ukrainian officials have praised Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones for their role in fighting Russian attacks.
Last month, Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace reportedly told his country's lawmakers that the drones were "delivering munitions" against Russian "artillery and their supply lines."
He added that it was "incredibly important" to slow down and block Russia's advance.
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The TB2, a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone, has been in operation for years.
It has been used by the Turkish Army in northern Iraq and Syria since 2014. More recently, it is credited with helping tip the scales in conflicts such as Libya and Nagorno Karabakh.
But videos recently released by the Ukrainian Army showing its attacks on Russian military targets have gone viral.
Which puts these drones back in the spotlight.
The success of the drone "is not limited to the ability to attack the Russian military," explained Samuel Bendett, deputy senior researcher at the Center of Naval Analyzes Russia Studies (CNAS).
"It's also a public relations victory," he noted.
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According to Bendett, the drone performed as expected.
But, he clarifies her, he is not "invulnerable".
Open source evidence suggests that the Russians were able to shoot down some of these devices.
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The drones "are part of the Ukrainian campaign on social networks that the Ukrainian Army and civilians execute very well," he said.
Videos of the Bayraktar drone strikes went viral on social media and that's "a huge morale boost ... [and] a huge tactical victory," she added.
The TB2 and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being developed in Turkey have put the country on the drone map, alongside the United States, China and Israel, Bendett said.
Turkey, which maintains close economic and defense ties with both Russia and Ukraine, has been cautious in promoting what is now arguably one of its most famous exports.
Drone sales were already a major irritant for Russia long before its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned late last year that Turkish drones would have a "destabilizing" impact on the region.
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A senior Turkish bureaucrat told reporters on Friday that Russia has repeatedly complained to Ankara about drone sales to Ukraine.
"Before they used to complain, now they are complaining, but we have already given them the answer ... these are [from] a private company and this purchase was made before the war," he said at a press conference with foreign media.
Ukraine was the first country to buy the TB2s, in 2019, and has ordered at least 36 drones so far.
Last month, his defense minister announced the arrival of a new shipment of these devices.
Selcuk Bayraktar, Chief Technology Officer of Baykar Technologies, is more interested in talking about his drone technology than politics.
He is also the son-in-law of Turkey's president, who has positioned himself as a key mediator between Moscow and Kyiv in the war.
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Bayraktar has listened to the song dedicated to its namesake drone.
He also knows about the social media phenomenon that the device has become in Ukraine.
However, he measures his words carefully when he speaks of that country.
"I think it's one of the symbols of resistance, it gives them hope," Bayraktar, an engineer and graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told CNN during a rare tour last week of drone production facilities in New York. Istanbul.
"People are resisting and defending their homeland from an illegal occupation and... if you want independence you have to be able to stand up and resist. And I think that's what the brave people of Ukraine and their leaders have done." , said.
"At the same time, you need technology. You need your own ability to defend yourself, but when people's lives are at stake ... I don't want to compare that to any kind of technology," she added.
On display is the "Kizilelma" (or red apple) - Turkey's first unmanned combat aircraft, which has just arrived on the production line and is named after the Turkish mythological expression that symbolizes the ideal - the goal one wants to achieve.
Bayraktar noted that he expects it to start flying next year.
Industry experts say factors like cost are what make drones so attractive.
"[The] Bayraktar TB2 offers a near-perfect price and balance of combat efficiency. [And] it has an affordable unit cost," explained Dr. Can Kasapoglu, Director of Defense Research at the Turkish Center for Foreign Economics and Policy ( EDAM).
"TB-2's competitors in the arms market are more expensive, have more bureaucratic and political hurdles to acquisition, or have uncertain supply sustainability."
The company did not disclose pricing information.
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The drone is also combat-proven, which is a crucial criterion in arms deals, he said.
"At the end of the day, TB2s are likely to deal more damage to the opponent than they take," added Kasapoglu.
"This is critically important, especially for NATO's eastern flank."
Baykar Tech has signed contracts with at least 19 countries, most of which were completed in the last 18 months.
Among the buyers is Poland, the only member of the European Union and NATO that has ordered these devices.
Turkey's aerospace and defense industry posted more than $3 billion in exports last year, a record, according to the country's state news agency.
"It is important to strengthen defense and aviation exports to countries with which Turkey has strategic relations," Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar and Selcuk's younger brother, told Anadolu news agency in January.
"Beyond providing an economic gain, defense exports also provide a suitable basis for establishing strategic relationships with the countries to which they are exported," he added.
For Selcuk Bayraktar, this is not just a family business or a lifelong passion for engineering.
He said it is about ensuring the nation's independence and technological self-sufficiency from him.
"When I was 20 years old... you could say we're going to be the best at football... [or] at baklava, at kebab. But no one could say we're going to develop a niche technology that's going to be world famous."
Celine Alkhaldi and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.
dronesWar in UkraineRussia invasion of Ukraine