Bayraktar TB2 vs MQ-9 Reaper
Combat drones ยท ๐น๐ท Turkey vs ๐บ๐ธ United States
The drone that made Turkey a defense-export power: cheap, slow, but devastating against forces without air defense, from Libya to Karabakh to Ukraine.
The archetypal hunter-killer drone of the counterterrorism era, able to loiter for a day with a heavier weapons load than early fighters carried.
Key differences
- MQ-9 Reaper is faster: 482 vs 222 km/h (+117%).
- MQ-9 Reaper flies farther: 1,900 vs 300 km (+533%).
- Bayraktar TB2 is cheaper: ~$5M vs ~$32M per unit.
- Bayraktar TB2 is far more numerous: 750+ built vs 300+.
- Bayraktar TB2 is the newer design (entered service 2014 vs 2007).
Specifications side by side
| Bayraktar TB2 | MQ-9 Reaper | |
|---|---|---|
| ๐น๐ท Turkey | Country of origin | ๐บ๐ธ United States |
| 2014 | In service since | 2007 |
| 222 km/h | Top speed | 482 km/h |
| 300 km | Range | 1,900 km |
| 0.7 t | Weight | 2.2 t |
| 4ร MAM-C/MAM-L smart micro munitions | Armament | 8ร Hellfire or GBU-12/38, 27h endurance |
| ~$5M | Unit cost | ~$32M |
| 750+ | Units built | 300+ |
Tables compare stated specifications; real combat outcomes depend on crew training, situation, support and rules of engagement โ not stats alone.