Eyes in the sky: Operation 'Spring Shield' and the Baryaktar TB2 UAV

摘要

On 27 February the Syrian Air Force launched a precision air strike against a two-storey building in the Syrian village of Balioun, which news reports suggested was providing temporary shelter to a Turkish force that had been engaged by artillery while moving into the area to assist Turkish-backed rebels. The strike reportedly killed 34 Turkish personnel and wounded 30 more. The attack sparked a chain of events that culminated in a ceasefire that went into effect on 5 March. In the interim seven days, however, Turkish forces deployed UAVs en masse, leading a senior Turkish official to tell Bloomberg that the country's use of UAVs was "a military innovation that demonstrated Ankara's technological prowess on the battlefield".