Iranian UAVs | News and Discussions

[Philip the Arab]

The electro optical and electronic systems of drones are the main decider of their effectiveness.

It’s what makes American drones much more capable than Chinese or Russian drones.

If the TB2 had shitty optics it would have never made a splash in Libya or Nagorno Karabakh.

 

[Raghfarm007]

Even zelensky said Bayraktards are crap:

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[Philip the Arab]

Even zelensky said Bayraktards are crap:

defenceview.in

This domain may be for sale!

www.defenceview.in

Against a nation with top 10 capabilities their usefulness is limited.

I suggest using lightweight stand-off cruise missiles in the future with GPS/INS capability.

 

[OldTwilight]

There is fundamental differences, primarily the varying sophisticated flir systems that TB-2 uses. It allows for dropping bombs from higher altitude, with worse weather, better accuracy, better non-fixed targeting, better night vision and etc, Its the heart and soul of the drone, one could argue the drone was made around it. The Mohajer-6 flir looks like it was made in someone's garage no offence, its size alone should indicate questionable capabilities and technological sophistication. The TB-2 also has very capable Electronic Warfare capabilities that have been successfully used in Syria, Libya, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. I don't know if Mohajer-6 has any so I cant compare, but I have my doubts (not talking about pods here, flat-out innate capabilities)

well , look like Russians didn't see TB2 super capabilities ....


so , when come to cost-result of drone like m6 and tb2 , probably you will get better results from m6 aaand your foe has to use more of it stockpile to bring m6 ...


the point of m6 drones is to be cheap as possible , you ottomans Star ths propaganda campaign n first place , or else you could compare tb2 with Iranian drone with same price tag ....

 

[Blue In Green]

The electro optical and electronic systems of drones are the main decider of their effectiveness.

It’s what makes American drones much more capable than Chinese or Russian drones.

If the TB2 had shitty optics it would have never made a splash in Libya or Nagorno Karabakh.

The practical battlefield effectiveness of drones only goes so far due to their very nature. Usually best suited for environments where the enemy doesn't have tiered AD or a viable air-presence that denies their tactical use (research why the M777 is good for Afghanistan but horrible for Ukraine). Russian forces have been shooting down so many TB2s (despite the sordid propaganda to the contrary) showing that, whilst highly capable combat platforms. BAYRAKTARS, like any other UCAV. Has real limitations in the theatre of conflict. -- It should be noted that the TB2 uses Canadians EO/FLIR technology for their targeting pods along with other Western supplied technology. But it's still Turkish overall, not that it really matters in practice.

Idk why Turks (and others) have themselves deified the TB2 as if it's the ultimate combat implement. Clearly there are limitations to its capabilities in this sort of war environment. Russia is not Armenia and they're certainly not a rag-tag military force. The end result of this war will end all asinine assessments about Russian combat performance as well as the much vaunted TB2 (not a fan of Russia personally, nor do I have anything against Turkey btw).

On the subject of Mohajer-6 and general Iranian drone development. What I think many others here and in general fail to realize is the most obvious in your face truth. Iran isn't trying to necessarily construct "the best drone". It builds, researches and produces the most cost effective/mass producible platform available with given resources. Needless to say, Iranian drone development is steadily progressing (as seen with the recent Shahed-149 "GAZA" drone unveiling) and is on track to produce analogues comparable to regional and international players in the field of drone technology with an overall drone inventory and production capacity that far outstrips the majority of nations on the planet barring the usual big names.

 

[OldTwilight]

The practical battlefield effectiveness of drones only goes so far due to their very nature. Usually best suited for environments where the enemy doesn't have tiered AD or a viable air-presence that denies their tactical use (research why the M777 is good for Afghanistan but horrible for Ukraine). Russian forces have been shooting down so many TB2s (despite the sordid propaganda to the contrary) showing that, whilst highly capable combat platforms. BAYRAKTARS, like any other UCAV. Has real limitations in the theatre of conflict. -- It should be noted that the TB2 uses Canadians EO/FLIR technology for their targeting pods along with other Western supplied technology. But it's still Turkish overall, not that it really matters in practice.

Idk why Turks (and others) have themselves deified the TB2 as if it's the ultimate combat implement. Clearly there are limitations to its capabilities in this sort of war environment. Russia is not Armenia and they're certainly not a rag-tag military force. The end result of this war will end all asinine assessments about Russian combat performance as well as the much vaunted TB2 (not a fan of Russia personally, nor do I have anything against Turkey btw).

On the subject of Mohajer-6 and general Iranian drone development. What I think many others here and in general fail to realize is the most obvious in your face truth. Iran isn't trying to necessarily construct "the best drone". It builds, researches and produces the most cost effective/mass producible platform available with given resources. Needless to say, Iranian drone development is steadily progressing (as seen with the recent Shahed-149 "GAZA" drone unveiling) and is on track to produce analogues comparable to regional and international players in the field of drone technology with an overall drone inventory and production capacity that far outstrips the majority of nations on the planet barring the usual big names.

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The point is that What TB2 could do with Armenia , M6 could do as well , and against a foe like Russia or countries with tiered AD ( like Persian Gulf nations ) , the drones in class of M6 and TB2 have limit usage ... ( unless you use them in mass number to empty thei AD missile stockpile in short period of time then M6 is better )


so , TB2 being better than M6 while costing 5-10 times higher price is irrelevant because end of day , they can't target high value assets of enemy against competent adversary ..

Ukraine bought 50 TB2 drones which cost of 1 million $ per unit , I'm sure if Ukrainians could travel back to past in time , they would prefer to buy 250-500 M6 ( 100k or 200k per unit ) with 50 Million $ instead of 50 Tb2 ...


although , I'm admiring the Ottomans propaganda machine for their great marketing campaign of TB2 ...

 

[sha ah]

In regards to the price for the TB-2, I've heard prices range anywhere from $1 million to $2 million all the way to $5 million.

It seems the Ukrainians paid $69 million for 12 units plus 3 ground control stations. That would mean the $5 million dollar price range is more realistic for fully loaded variants, with a decent amount of spare PGMs and technology transfers.

Now if they purchased 50 quantity, that would mean $250 million. Russia claims to have destroyed 90 at this point but anyways in recent days Russia has shot down half a dozen or more SU-25s and MIG-29s. The speed at which the Ukrainians are burning through weapons is just mind boggling.

Anyways, considering that even China sells their drones for $1-$2 each on average, I wonder how much Iran sells Mohajer-6s, fully loaded with spare PMGs and ground control stations ? $100,000-$200,000 per unit seems excessively cheap. I'm guessing atleast $500,000 - $1 million a unit depending on the variant.

Even Russia sells its Orlan-10 drones for $80-$120,000 for a system of 3 with a ground control station. These are extremely low tech and mainly for reconnaissance. My point is if you consider the current prices on competitors, I don't think it makes sense for Iran to sell Mohajer-6 for $100-$200,000 a unit. But I'm just guessing anyways so who knows.

The point is that What TB2 could do with Armenia , M6 could do as well , and against a foe like Russia or countries with tiered AD ( like Persian Gulf nations ) , the drones in class of M6 and TB2 have limit usage ... ( unless you use them in mass number to empty thei AD missile stockpile in short period of time then M6 is better )


so , TB2 being better than M6 while costing 5-10 times higher price is irrelevant because end of day , they can't target high value assets of enemy against competent adversary ..

Ukraine bought 50 TB2 drones which cost of 1 million $ per unit , I'm sure if Ukrainians could travel back to past in time , they would prefer to buy 250-500 M6 ( 100k or 200k per unit ) with 50 Million $ instead of 50 Tb2 ...


although , I'm admiring the Ottomans propaganda machine for their great marketing campaign of TB2 ...

 

[Blue In Green]

The point is that What TB2 could do with Armenia , M6 could do it as well , and against a foe like Russia or countries with tiered AD ( like Persian Gulf nations ) , drone in class of M6 and TB2 have limit usage ...


so , TB2 being better than M6 while costing 5-10 times higher price is irrelevant because end of day , they can't target high value assets of enemy ...

Ukraine bought 50 TB2 drone which cots 1 million $ per unit , I'm sure if Ukrainians could travel back to past in time , they would prefer to buy 250 M6 with 50 Million $ instead of 50 Tb2 ...


although , I should thumb up for Ottomans propaganda machine which could do a great marketing campaign for TB2 ...

Others here whom I deeply respect are way more better suited to comment on this than me but I'll share some thoughts of my own the matter.

From what I can garner, there are clear merits in the mass saturation of drones within the combat space, over the use of more technologically capable UAV/UVACs. A methodology that stems primarily from a numbers game. If one has the ability to keep pumping out lesser capable (but still comparable) combat platforms at a higher rate compared to way more expensive (but more capable) systems. Then the cheaper system will be the overall better choice due the sheer amount your force can field at any given time.

12 TB2s active in the AO compared to 50-100 Mohajer-6s. I would go with the Mohajer-6 (I could be wrong in my assessment though). Less costly, more of them, far more expendable and the combat effectiveness is somewhat comparable but neither system will fair all too well if the enemy force employs adequate tiered-AD and Air-force presence that holistically denies the practical application of the drone on the battlefield.

The Russians are routinely downing TB2s (wherever they're being used against Russian forces), which are very good combat drone platforms. Because they're employing proper defensive counter measures in the theatre. tactical implementation of drone warfare in the way I think people here in this thread are viewing it. Doesn't exactly mesh all too well with the type of war being fought in Ukraine. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (for example) is a different beast altogether since Azerbaijan thoroughly prepared and the Armenians relied on decades old warfare doctrine utilizing older Soviet equipment which resulted in their defeat. A defeat in which the TB2s played a pivotal role but the drones themselves didn't outright win the war. Armies/logistics/planning etc., that wins a conflict, not a single weapon system.

A follow-up point to this rant. I think (don't know for certain) that Iranian weapons systems in general aren't "static". It's been a long running assumption of mine that many Iranian made weapons platforms have a sort of rolling upgrades program applied to them. Meaning that existing Mohajer-6s, amongst the litany of other I.R.I made drones, receive retrofitting and routine upgrades whenever newer targetting/camera systems and other mass-produced technologies can be applied to them (if logistics/economics/need allow for their integration). Iranian drone R&D is such a massive domestic defense sector that such an assumption shouldn't be all that outlandish in practice. Although again, I'm just spitballing here.

Other than that, idk. I maybe completely wrong about everything lol.

 

[sha ah]

Now the Ukrainians are fuming that Turkey has allegedly purchased stolen Ukranian grain from Russia. Like the old saying goes, "there are no friends in politics, only interests"

Against a nation with top 10 capabilities their usefulness is limited.

I suggest using lightweight stand-off cruise missiles in the future with GPS/INS capability.

 

[OldTwilight]

Now the Ukrainians are fuming that Turkey has allegedly purchased stolen Ukranian grain from Russia. Like the old saying goes, "there are no friends in politics, only interests"

well , buying stolen good of your so called ally from her invader is being super jerk ... its not even politic ...

 

[sha ah]

I wouldn't even call Turkey an ally of Ukraine. They're more like opportunistic salesmen if anything. Now Ukrainians have found out the hard way. I mean they didn't even join the western backed sanctions against Russia. To be fair though the Turkish economy is crumbling and Turkey relies heavily on Russian gas to generate electricity. For that reason I also can't blame them for purchasing discounted grain, not that they're passing on the savings to their people. Most likely it's going directly into Erdogans offshore accounts. In any case, it's not politics, but rather realpolitik.

well , buying stolen good of your so called ally from her invader is being super jerk ... its not even politic ...

 

[BordoEnes]

well , look like Russians didn't see TB2 super capabilities ....


so , when come to cost-result of drone like m6 and tb2 , probably you will get better results from m6 aaand your foe has to use more of it stockpile to bring m6 ...


the point of m6 drones is to be cheap as possible , you ottomans Star ths propaganda campaign n first place , or else you could compare tb2 with Iranian drone with same price tag ....

The TB-2 was literally made with the mindset of being expendable and mass produced. Its unit price is at around 2 Million USD domestically and 4-5 million export price tag. That's mindbogglingly cheap for drones, especially for the all the capabilities and systems the TB-2 comes with. Its the reason why so many countries buy it and why its so widely effectively used. The most recent production line photographs indicate that the production of TB-2 has exceeded the 300 number mark and roughly half of this number is in the use of the varying branches of Turkish armed forces and institutions(forest fire prevention among others). The Mohajer-6 was no doubt made with the same mindset and role in mind as the TB-2, but from what little I know of your Oghab flir series it means they are fundamentally bottle-necked in their capabilities and usage. The M-6 for example would probably need to fly much lower to strike their target, which means its more susceptible to being shot down. My point was not to trash the M-6, its probably made as a workhorse for IRIAF/IRGC but there are definitely differences is my point.

Now the Ukrainians are fuming that Turkey has allegedly purchased stolen Ukranian grain from Russia. Like the old saying goes, "there are no friends in politics, only interests"

That statement has been redacted by Reuters and the Ukrainian ambassador has denied making these accusations. To put it bluntly it was a translation error. We have not bought stolen grain at all.

 

[dBSPL]

Now the Ukrainians are fuming that Turkey has allegedly purchased stolen Ukranian grain from Russia. Like the old saying goes, "there are no friends in politics, only interests"

I have not seen any other community that has as much propaganda inclination as the Iranian community in this forum. It's really weird. These media outlets always lie when they report about Iran, but when you find post-truth content that works for you, you're in for a treat.

Not just yours, there are 3 posts on this subject, written under such an irrelevant thread, probably even though they know its just fake news. I leave it to the reader's discretion as to how this psychology can be described.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1532794397628178433

https://twitter.com/x/status/1532794567145271296

The named ambassador explained how his words were distorted and condemned Reuters' propagandistic reporting.

Reuters has been getting a lot of reaction from the Turkish public, especially for the past month, by publishing a lot of fake news and manipulative content targeting Turkiye's possible military operation.

 

[Sineva]

A nice long shot image

 

[925boy]

so whole world is chasing iran to get one muhajer 6 right?

Stop distracting and trolling and lets get to the facts:

Turkey supplied all its TB2s to Ukraine, and Russia has shot at least 90% of them out the skies, and no one wants to praise Baryatar anymore now.

Iran supplied some Muhajirs to Ethiopia recently, and after several weeks the Tigray army's fighting ability was severly degraded and broke its ability to move on the Ethiopian capital.

I fully agree with @OldTwilight that Mohajer is cheaper and more effective version of TB2.