Baykar Bayraktar TB2 vs General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper
Full specs: Baykar Bayraktar TB2 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper
Baykar Bayraktar TB2 and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper are both uav / drone, compared here on public specifications. The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper leads on range (1,850 vs 150 km).
Verdict
Both fly the same 27-hour endurance, an unusual coincidence that makes everything else about these drones a study in contrasts. The Bayraktar TB2 is the cheaper, lighter platform by a wide margin, an estimated $5 million unit price against the Reaper's roughly $32 million flyaway cost, carrying 150kg across four hardpoints with the piston-engine simplicity of a Rotax 912. The MQ-9A Reaper is the larger, faster, far more heavily armed system, a 1,700kg payload across seven hardpoints, more than eleven times the TB2's weapons load, cruising nearly twice as fast at almost double the service ceiling on a proper turboprop. The TB2's real legacy is proving that a cheap, persistent striker can devastate armor, artillery and even air-defense systems when the other side lacks layered short-range defenses, a lesson written in Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya and the opening months of the Ukraine war and exported to more than 30 countries. The Reaper is the more capable individual airframe, but it is also the more expensive, more exposed one; a 2023 incident over the Black Sea, where a Russian fighter forced one down, underlined how vulnerable even America's workhorse hunter-killer is in contested airspace.
Analysis by Cole Merrick, Defense-systems data columnist, WeaponSpecs · Last updated 2026-08-06
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Full data
Full spec sheet
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (km/h) | 222 km/h | 480 km/h ✓ |
| Cruise speed (km/h) | 130 km/h | 313 km/h ✓ |
| Range (km) | 150 km | 1,850 km ✓ |
| Service ceiling (m) | 8,230 m | 15,240 m ✓ |
| Endurance (h) | 27 h | 27 h |
| Firepower | ||
| Hardpoints | 4 | 7 ✓ |
| Weapons payload (kg) | 150 kg | 1,700 kg ✓ |
| Physical | ||
| Length (m) | 6.5 m | 11 m |
| Empty weight (kg) | 450 kg | 2,223 kg |
| Combat weight (kg) | 700 kg | 4,760 kg |
| Crew | 0 | 0 |
| Propulsion | ||
| Engine power (hp) | N/A | 900 hp |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | $5,000,000 ✓ | $32,000,000 |
| Units built | 500 ✓ | 350 |
| Operator countries | 30 ✓ | 15 |
Analysis
Baykar Bayraktar TB2 vs General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper: how they match up
Payload: an eleven-times gap
The MQ-9A Reaper carries up to 1,700kg across seven hardpoints, compatible with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-38 JDAM precision bombs, a genuine multi-target strike loadout. The Bayraktar TB2 carries 150kg across four hardpoints, limited to the smaller MAM-L and MAM-C laser-guided micro-munitions. That gap defines the doctrine each drone enables: the Reaper can prosecute a heavier target list per sortie, while the TB2's tiny munitions are built for precision kills on individual vehicles, air-defense radars and artillery pieces at a fraction of the cost per shot.
Speed, altitude, and survivability
The Reaper cruises at 313 km/h and reaches a 15,240m service ceiling, well above most short-range air defenses and small-arms fire. The TB2 cruises at a modest 130 km/h with an 8,230m ceiling, low and slow enough that it depends heavily on the target lacking a modern layered air-defense network; against Armenian and early-war Russian short-range systems that gap in radar and missile coverage was exactly what let it operate with such striking effect. Against a peer air-defense system, both drones face real exposure, the 2023 Black Sea incident showed even the faster, higher-flying Reaper is not immune to a determined interceptor.
Cost and proliferation
At roughly $5 million per unit, the Bayraktar TB2 costs a fraction of the Reaper's approximate $32 million flyaway price, before accounting for the Reaper's ground control stations and full sensor and weapons integration, which can push a complete operational package above $100 million. That price gap is why the TB2 has been exported to more than 30 countries against the Reaper's 15, becoming the drone of choice for mid-sized militaries that could never afford, or qualify to buy, an American MALE platform.
Combat record
The TB2's combat resume, Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the opening months of the Ukraine war, turned it into both a military tool and a geopolitical export phenomenon, though its makers, Baykar, have since extended the family upward with the jet-powered Kızılelma and heavier Akıncı for tougher environments. The Reaper has flown vast numbers of ISR and strike sorties across the Middle East, Africa and beyond since 2007, the backbone of American armed overwatch, though its exposure over contested airspace, including the 2023 Black Sea incident, is steadily pushing US operators toward less contested environments as newer, less vulnerable unmanned concepts mature.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Bayraktar TB2 as capable as the MQ-9 Reaper? +
No, the Reaper carries over eleven times the weapons payload, flies nearly twice as fast, and reaches almost double the altitude. The TB2's value is its low cost and battlefield-proven effectiveness against forces lacking modern air defenses, not raw capability.
Why is the Bayraktar TB2 so much cheaper than the MQ-9 Reaper? +
It uses a simple piston engine, a smaller airframe, and a far lighter sensor and weapons package, roughly $5 million per unit against the Reaper's approximate $32 million flyaway cost, a deliberate design tradeoff for affordability and exportability over raw performance.
Has an MQ-9 Reaper ever been shot down or forced down? +
Yes, a US MQ-9 was forced down over the Black Sea in 2023 after a Russian fighter intercepted it, a well-documented incident that highlighted the drone's exposure in contested airspace.
How many countries fly the Bayraktar TB2? +
More than 30 operators as of publicly available figures, roughly double the MQ-9 Reaper's 15, reflecting the TB2's much lower price point and export accessibility.
Which is faster, Baykar Bayraktar TB2 and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper is the fastest of the 2 compared here, at 480 km/h.
Which has the longer range? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper has the longest range at 1,850 km.
Which carries the larger weapons payload? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper carries the largest weapons payload at 1,700 kg.
Which is cheaper? +
The Baykar Bayraktar TB2 has the lower public unit-cost figure at 5,000,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher endurance? +
The Baykar Bayraktar TB2 has the higher endurance at 27 h.
Which has the higher hardpoints? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper has the higher hardpoints at 7.
Is the Baykar Bayraktar TB2 better than the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper? +
On the public specs we track, the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper leads on 4 of 6 headline metrics, see the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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