Bayraktar TB3 UAV’s Testing Process Continues Successfully
First Flight and Achievements
The Bayraktar TB3, an armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed nationally and originally by Baykar, made its maiden flight on October 27, 2023, as a gift for the 100th anniversary of our Republic. Following this historic flight, it successfully completed system identification and performance tests at various altitudes. Most recently, it also successfully passed the ramp take-off test, marking another significant milestone.
High Altitude Success with Domestic Engine
The Bayraktar TB3 successfully completed the High Altitude System Performance Test by reaching an altitude of 36,310 feet at Baykar’s Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne. Achieving this with the domestically developed PD-170 engine by TEI, the TB3 surpassed another critical threshold. The national aviation altitude record, however, belongs to the Bayraktar AKINCI UAV with 45,118 feet.
Ramp Take-Off and TCG Anadolu
During tests that started in Tekirdağ Çorlu and continued at the Baykar Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, the Bayraktar TB3 took off from a ramp for the first time on June 1, 2024. It took off from a ramp with a 12-degree incline on a runway built under the same conditions as the deck of the TCG Anadolu. These tests indicate how close the TB3 is to being deployed on a ship.
445 Hours of Flight Experience
To date, the Bayraktar TB3 has accumulated a total of 445 hours and 3 minutes of flight time during test flights. During a long flight test on December 20, 2023, it remained airborne for 32 hours and covered 5,700 km without landing.
Integration of National UAV and National Camera
On March 26, 2024, the Bayraktar TB3 flew for the first time with the ASELSAN-developed ASELFLIR-500. The integration of the ASELFLIR-500 Electro-Optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Targeting System was successfully completed.
First Flight from TCG Anadolu in 2024
Selçuk Bayraktar, Chairman of the Board and Technology Leader of Baykar, announced that the Bayraktar TB3 will begin tests on the TCG Anadolu ship in 2024. With its foldable wing structure, it will be the first armed unmanned aerial vehicle in the world capable of taking off and landing from short-runway ships like the TCG Anadolu. The TB3 will be remotely controlled from very long distances with beyond-line-of-sight communication capability and will perform reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and attack missions against overseas targets.
Baykar’s Export Success
Since 2003, Baykar has been conducting UAV R&D processes with its own resources and derives 83% of its revenues from exports. In 2023, Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports and ranked among the top 10 exporting companies in Turkey. In recent years, Baykar has obtained more than 90% of its revenues from exports and accounted for one-third of the defense and aviation sector’s exports in 2023. Export agreements have been signed with 33 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 UAV and with 9 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI UAV, totaling exports to 34 countries.
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