Bayraktar TB3 takes off from “TCG Anadolu”: Baykar reports take-off and landing on a short deck

The Turkish manufacturer Baykar speaks of a historic success for the Bayraktar TB3: it says the TB3 is the first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) anywhere in the world to have taken off from and landed on an aircraft carrier with a short runway.

On 19 November – following a successful test phase – the Bayraktar TB3 with serial number PT2 took off from the drone carrier “TCG Anadolu”, whose ramp is inclined at 12 degrees. The unmanned aircraft stayed airborne for 46 minutes over the open sea at the boundary between the Aegean and the Mediterranean. It then landed successfully, without landing aids, on the same short runway.

In a first official statement, Baykar declared: “This historic test flight ushered in a new era in the history of Turkish aviation and maritime affairs”.

Ski-jump tests in Keşan as preparation

The take-off and landing test for warships with short runways, now passed, was preceded by extensive ski-jump tests at the Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan. The first trials took place on the ramp there on 1 June. Two Bayraktar TB3 – PT1 and PT2 – were then relocated to Dalaman Air Base. From this base, PT 1 flew initial approaches to the “TCG Anadolu” by day and by night and completed the first “approach tests”.

The 12-degree ramp of the Keşan facility exactly matches the one on the main deck of the “TCG Anadolu”.

The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV has already logged more than 700 flight hours since test flights began. In an endurance test in December 2023, it remained airborne for a remarkable 32 hours, covering 5,700 kilometres.

Bayraktar TB3 as a force multiplier at sea

Folding wings and advanced capabilities are likely to give the Bayraktar TB3 good prospects of establishing itself with naval forces as one of the leading UCAVs in its class. Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communication allows it to be deployed over long distances – which is also likely to make it a key instrument of Türkiye's deterrence strategy.

On 26 March, the TB3 also received the Aselflir-500 electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system developed by Aselsan. Baykar sees this as giving it a good chance of building on the success of the TB2. The TB2 now officially has contracts with 34 countries, and the Akinci UCAV already with ten. Most recently, Baykar reported a major order from Saudi Arabia.