Turkish Land Forces has made the first retirement of its Bayraktar TB2 UAV after more than 10000 hours of service for ten years.
The UAV with the tail number S5, used in ISR missions, has been replaced by a unit fresh from the production line with the tail number T510 in armed configuration. Bayraktar TB2 S5's service history which began in 2014 includes more than 750 sorties and involvement in counter-terrorism operations such as Trench Operations, Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, Spring Shield, and the ongoing Claw.
The aircraft will be used as a training and test platform after its retirement from military service.
So far, the total flight hours of Bayraktar TB2 have reached 900000+ hours, coming closer to the one million hours mark. The armed UAV has been exported to 33 countries, six of them being NATO members with the most well-known being Poland.
In Turkish service, the UAVs are in use by the Armed Forces, National Intelligence Agency (MİT), Gendarme, General Directorate of Security, Coast Guard, and General Directorate of Forestry.
