Baykar, Turkiye’s top drone manufacturer, announced today that the Bayraktar TB3 successfully took off and landed on the Turkish Navy’s flagship, TCG Anadolu (L-400).
Baykar press release – Translated by Naval News
The Bayraktar TB3 UAV has made aviation history as the first unmanned aerial vehicle to successfully take off and land on a short-deck ship. A successful flight test was conducted aboard the TCG Anadolu.
Developed indigenously by Baykar, the Bayraktar TB3 armed UAV successfully completed takeoff and landing tests from short-deck ships, marking a groundbreaking achievement in aviation history. Bayraktar TB3 has become the first armed unmanned aerial vehicle in the world capable of taking off and landing on short-deck ships like the TCG Anadolu.
TB3 deployed by flying for a historic test
After completing ramp tests, Bayraktar TB3 PT1 and PT2 recently took off from Baykar’s Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne, and were deployed to Dalaman Air Base Command. During subsequent tests, the Bayraktar TB3 PT1 performed day and night approach tests near TCG Anadolu, completing them successfully.
On November 19, Bayraktar TB3 PT2 successfully took off from TCG Anadolu’s 12-degree inclined ramp during tests conducted at sea. It performed a 46-minute test flight at the junction of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas before successfully landing back on the short deck without using any landing support equipment. This test flight opened a new chapter in both aviation and maritime history.
New developments with a homegrown engine
On June 25, 2024, Bayraktar TB3 successfully completed the High-Altitude System Performance Test, reaching an altitude of 36,310 feet during a flight conducted at Baykar’s Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne. Equipped with the domestically developed TEI PD-170 engine, the national UAV crossed another critical milestone. The national aviation altitude record, however, is held by Bayraktar AKINCI UAV, which reached 45,118 feet.
Beginning in Tekirdağ Çorlu and continuing at the Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Bayraktar TB3 completed its first ramp takeoff on June 1, 2024. The ramp, featuring a 12-degree incline and constructed to simulate the deck of TCG Anadolu, enabled Bayraktar TB3 to prepare for shipboard deployment. The successful ramp tests marked another significant step forward in the test campaign.
To date, Bayraktar TB3 has accumulated over 700 flight hours during test flights. During a long-endurance test flight conducted on December 20, 2023, the UAV remained airborne for 32 hours and covered 5,700 km without landing.
On March 26, 2024, Bayraktar TB3 flew for the first time equipped with the ASELFLIR-500, a domestically developed electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting system by Aselsan. The system, which has the highest performance among its peers globally, was successfully integrated into the UAV during the tests.
With its foldable wings and advanced capabilities, Bayraktar TB3 is set to become the leader in its class. Featuring beyond-line-of-sight communication capabilities, it can be operated from extremely long distances. The UAV will carry out reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and strike missions using its smart munitions, significantly enhancing Turkey’s deterrent power against overseas targets.
Export Champion
Baykar has carried out all its projects using its own resources since the inception of its UAV R&D process in 2003. Generating 83% of its revenue from exports, Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports in 2023, ranking among Turkey’s top 10 exporting companies across all sectors. Baykar has been the defense and aerospace sector’s export leader in 2021, 2022, and 2023, according to data from the Presidency of Defense Industries and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM). In 2023, Baykar accounted for one-third of the defense and aerospace sector’s total exports, with over 90% of its revenue coming from exports. Baykar, the world’s largest UAV company, currently has 97.5% of its contracts derived from exports. Export agreements have been signed with 34 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 UAV and 10 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI UAV, amounting to a total of 35 countries.
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About Bayraktar TB3
The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV is an armed unmanned aerial vehicle system, currently being developed indigenously by Baykar and capable of takeoff and landing on short runway aircraft carriers. Besides reconnaissance/surveillance and intelligence missions, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV can launch an assault operation with the smart munitions stationed under its wings.
The Bayraktar TB3 can conduct armed operations overseas due in part to custom capabilities, like foldable wings that enable use on aircraft carriers.
The Bayraktar TB3 can be operated from very remote distances thanks to its Line-Of-Sight and Beyond-Line-Of-Sight communications capabilities.
Specifications:
- 8.35 Meter Length
- 14 Meters Wingspan
- 1450 Kilograms Maximum Take Off Weight
- 125 knots-160 knots Cruise Speed – Maximum Speed
- 280 Kilograms Payload Capacity
- 24+ Hours Endurance
