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Colombia is considering replacing its Israeli Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 UAVs with Baykar's Bayraktar TB2 armed UAVs and Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs, respectively, Ecuador-based El Universo reported.
The Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC) believes the time is approaching to formalize a measure they have been analyzing for some time: modernizing its drone fleet.
The report said Baykar's presence at Expodefensa 2025 is related to this step Colombia is planning to take.
Colombia is an operator of both the Hermes 450 tactical UAV and Hermes 900 MALE UAV. The UAVs were sold to Colombia as a package within the scope of a deal signed in 2012.
One of the key reasons for the retirement of the Hermes line of UAVs is likely to be their unarmed status in Colombian service, only serving as ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) platforms.
When it comes to Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar TB3 being considered as replacements, both UAVs offer a wide range of weaponry options.
Bayraktar TB2, likely being considered as the Hermes 450 replacement due to its closer characteristics, offers weaponry options including glide munitions (MAM-L, Bozok, Kayi) and recently the Kemankes 1 turbojet-powered loitering munition.
Bayraktar TB2 can also provide improvements in ISR missions thanks to recent integrations of the ASELFLIR 500 EO/IR system and Leonardo's Osprey 30 AESA radar.
According to Baykar, the Bayraktar TB2 holds the record in Turkish aviation history for endurance (27 hours and 3 minutes) and altitude (25,030 feet).
The armed tactical drone has accumulated more than one million flight hours since entering service 11 years ago. More than 250 Bayraktar platforms are in service with Türkiye, Qatar, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, the company says.
The larger Bayraktar TB3 can carry heavier munitions in addition to the TB2's portfolio, such as the UAV-122 aeroballistic missile with seeker options (tested at 50+ km range) and the MAM-T glide munition that can reach longer and hit harder than the MAM-L.
Bayraktar TB3, capable of using similar sensors (ASELFLIR 500 included), has the extra advantage of STOL (short takeoff and landing) capabilities demonstrated on TCG Anadolu (L400) LHD of the Turkish Navy.
It reaches a maximum speed of 290 km/h, remains in the air for more than 24 hours, and can operate at a flight ceiling close to 9,000 meters. The Bayraktar TB3 can be operated from very remote distances thanks to its line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communication capabilities, Baykar says.
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