Update: No Turkish UCAVs was shot down in Libya on April 25. LNA-affiliated sources have apparently manipulated the wreckage of the UCAV downed on April 17 to make a new video.
This means that the April 17 downed UAV was videoed&photographed by the #LNA, had the ordnance removed, set on fire (possibly to depict a shoot down- different scenario),videoed again&footage was kept for release at a future date with propaganda value to depict as a new event.
3/— Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) April 25, 2020
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On April 25, the Libyan National Army (LNA) shot down yet another Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).
According to sources close to the LNA, the UCAV was shot down in Wadi al-Dinar, south of the town of Bani Waled. The town is located 145 km to the southeast of the country’s capital, Tripoli.
The sources released a video showing the wreckage of the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV burning in an unspecified area in Wadi al-Dinar.
A day earlier, several drone strikes targeted tankers transporting fuel for LNA troops near Bani Waled. The strikes may have been carried out by the same UCAV.
Developed by Turkey’s Bayraktar, the Bayraktar TB2 has an endurance of 24 hours and an operational range of 150 km. The UCAV can be armed with up to four small-diameter laser-guided munitions.
According to LNA’s claims, at least 30 Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs have been shot down in Libya, so far. These numbers are yet to be verified.
Observers believe that Turkish drones operating in Libya are being targeted by UAE forces. The UAE reportedly deployed Russian-made Pantsir-S1 and U.S.-made MIM-23 Hawk air-defense systems in Libya last year.
