TURKISH DRONES REAL THREAT TO ENEMIES: UK DEFENSE CHIEF WALLACE

Sat 12 December 2020:

Turkey’s unmanned aerial vehicle, the Bayraktar TB2, has been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of armored vehicles and even air defense systems in Syria, Libya, and elsewhere, the UK’s defense secretary said on Friday.

“The roots of these drones are born out of Turkish innovation,” Ben Wallace said in a webinar organized by the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI), a British security think tank.

“Prevented from gaining access to exquisite foreign programs, they [Turkey] did what we used to do so well – they innovated.”

Wallace said the Turkish drone has the capability to present “real challenges to the enemy.”

“The TB2 and its accompanying munitions combine technical abilities with an affordability that means their commanders can tolerate some attrition while presenting real challenges to the enemy,” he said.

On evolving security threats in the world, Wallace said the use of “cyber, organized crime, electronic warfare, proxy fighters and disinformation can be seen on every continent.”

Emphasizing the need for the UK to review its approach to defense, Wallace warned: “The threat has moved, and we must move with it.”

“I do believe that we are no longer leading and innovating enough. We are in danger of being prepared only for the big fight that may never come, whilst our adversaries might choose to outflank it even if it does.”

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