Bayraktar TB3 Ready for TCG Anadolu: First Test Successfully Completed
The Bayraktar TB3 Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), developed by Baykar, successfully completed its first ramp takeoff test under conditions similar to those on the TCG Anadolu vessel. Once operational, Bayraktar TB3 UAVs will be able to take off from the deck of TCG Anadolu, the largest ship in the Turkish Navy.
Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar announced the successful completion of the test on social media with the message, “Step by step to TCG Anadolu… From there to the unique blue seas.”
National and Original Development
The test process of Bayraktar TB3 UAV, developed nationally and originally by Baykar, continues successfully. Bayraktar TB3, which made its first flight on October 27, 2023, as a gift to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, also successfully completed its first ramp takeoff test.
Took Off from a Ramp Similar to TCG Anadolu’s
In the test conducted at Baykar Flight Training and Test Center in the Keşan district of Edirne, Bayraktar TB3 UAV took off from a ramp for the first time. In Keşan, there is a ramp with a 12-degree incline built to mimic the conditions of the deck of TCG Anadolu where Bayraktar TB3 will be stationed. During the first ramp takeoff test, Bayraktar TB3 UAV attempted ramp takeoff four times and successfully completed all attempts.
Formation Flight with Bayraktar AKINCI to Keşan
Bayraktar TB3 successfully completed performance and system identification tests at low, medium, and high altitudes at the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu, Tekirdağ. On May 22, 2024, it took off from Çorlu in formation with Bayraktar AKINCI UAV and proceeded to Keşan, transferring to the Baykar Flight Training and Test Center. Bayraktar TB3 UAV will continue its testing activities on a specially prepared ramped runway in Keşan.
Total Flight Time Reaches 395 Hours
Bayraktar TB3 UAV has accumulated a total of 395 hours and 43 minutes of flight time during test flights to date. In a long flight test conducted on December 20, 2023, it remained airborne for 32 hours without landing and covered 5,700 km in the sky.
National UAV, National Camera
On March 26, 2024, Bayraktar TB3 UAV flew with the ASELFLIR-500, developed nationally by Aselsan. In this test, the integration of the ASELFLIR-500 Electro-Optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Targeting System, which has the highest performance compared to its counterparts worldwide, was successfully completed.
First Flight from TCG Anadolu in 2024
Bayraktar TB3 UAV, with its foldable wing structure, will be the world’s first armed unmanned aerial vehicle capable of taking off and landing from short-deck ships like TCG Anadolu. Selçuk Bayraktar announced that testing on the TCG Anadolu ship for Bayraktar TB3 is planned to begin in 2024. The capabilities of Bayraktar TB3 will represent a significant innovation for unmanned aerial vehicles in this class. With beyond-line-of-sight communication capabilities, it can be controlled from very long distances. With these features, it will perform reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and strike missions against overseas targets, enhancing Turkey’s deterrent power.
Export Champion
Since the start of its UAV R&D process in 2003, Baykar has obtained 83% of its revenue from exports. According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), Baykar was the export leader in the defense and aerospace sector in 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 it continued as the sector’s export champion with $1.8 billion in exports. In recent years, Baykar has derived more than 90% of its income from exports, accomplishing one-third of the defense and aerospace sector’s total exports in 2023 alone. Baykar signed export agreements for Bayraktar TB2 UAV with 33 countries and for Bayraktar AKINCI UAV with nine countries.
Step by Step to TCG Anadolu
Selçuk Bayraktar announced the test result via a post on his social media account. Bayraktar shared the success of the ramp takeoff test with the message, “Step by step to TCG Anadolu, from there to the unique blue seas…”
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