SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Amid the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict, Pakistan’s much-touted Turkish unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), including the Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Ak?nc?, have been conspicuously absent from the battlefield. A senior Indian Air Force (IAF) official, speaking to the Indian Defence Research Wing (idrw.org), revealed that Pakistan has deliberately kept these systems out of action, likely due to fears of losing them to India’s robust integrated air defense (AD) network. This development underscores the limitations of slow-moving UCAVs like the TB2 in contested airspace, where advanced AD systems dominate.
Pakistan has heavily invested in Turkish UCAVs, acquiring the Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Ak?nc? to bolster its aerial capabilities. The TB2, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone, gained international fame for its affordability and effectiveness in conflicts like Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya, where it faced poorly equipped adversaries. The Ak?nc?, a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UCAV, boasts a 1,350 kg payload and advanced avionics, positioning it as a strategic asset capable of mimicking fighter jet operations. Pakistan received 6-7 Ak?nc? drones in 2023 and an undisclosed number of TB2s earlier, integrating them into its air defense network for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and strike missions.
However, despite Pakistan’s aggressive drone and missile attacks on 36 Indian locations on May 9-10, 2025, neither the TB2 nor the Ak?nc? was deployed. Instead, Pakistan relied on smaller Turkish SONGAR drones and Byker YIHA III kamikaze drones, many of which were neutralized by Indian air defenses. It has been noted that not a single TB2 or Ak?nc? was spotted near Indian borders, with users speculating that Pakistan was aware of the vulnerability of these systems to India’s AD network.
India’s integrated air defense system has proven to be a significant deterrent in this conflict. Comprising layered systems like the S-400, Akash, Barak-8, and SPYDER, supported by upgraded L-70 air defense guns and electronic warfare (EW) counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS) grids, the network has effectively neutralized Pakistani aerial threats. The IAF official emphasized that the S-400, while reserved for high-value targets like PAF fighter jets, creates a defensive umbrella that deters larger platforms, leaving smaller drones and UAVs to be handled by systems like the Akash and L-70, which have successfully downed multiple targets.
The Akash system, in particular, has been a game-changer, with its Rajendra radar and dual-guidance mechanism optimized for low- to medium-altitude threats. Its ability to engage TB2s beyond their payload delivery range was noted in a 2024 report by Azerbaijan’s AIR Center, analyzing Armenia’s use of Akash against TB2s. The March 2025 downing of an Ak?nc? by Kurdish forces in Qandil further highlighted the vulnerability of Turkish UCAVs to radar-guided missiles in contested airspace, a lesson Pakistan appears to have taken seriously.
The senior IAF official told idrw.org, “Slow-moving UAVs like the TB2 are not meant for operations in contested airspace where a rival has deployed an integrated AD system. Pakistan’s decision to keep its famed Turkish UCAVs out of action shows they fear losing these systems to our defenses. This again proves their limitations against a well-prepared adversary.” The official’s comments align with growing skepticism about the invincibility of Turkish drones, which have struggled in conflicts like Ukraine and Libya when facing layered air defenses.
Pakistan’s strategy of using smaller, expendable drones to saturate Indian defenses has also failed, as evidenced by the IAF’s successful interception of 300-400 SONGAR drones on May 7-8. The official noted that Pakistan’s miscalculation in assuming drone swarms could overwhelm India’s AD network has exposed the PAF’s poor understanding of India’s capabilities, resulting in significant losses without achieving strategic objectives.
The absence of TB2 and Ak?nc? drones in this conflict challenges the narrative promoted by Turkey and Pakistan that these systems are game-changers in modern warfare. While effective against militias or in permissive environments, their slow speed—typically around 120-220 km/h for the TB2—and large radar cross-section make them easy targets for radar-guided missiles and EW systems. The Ak?nc?, despite its advanced features, shares similar vulnerabilities, as demonstrated by its downing in Qandil and a crash in Libya in January 2025.
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