The Turkish unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB3, a naval version of the Bayraktar TB2 strike drone, took off and landed on the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu on November 19, 2024, according to the developer Baykar. Bayraktar’s Chief Technology Officer Selçuk Bayraktar and other Turkish defense accounts reported that the landing was carried out entirely autonomously by the drone.
The test flight was inevitable, as the drone had been practicing takeoffs from a ground ramp for several months, starting in May 2024. The amphibious assault ship is also a helicopter carrier and a dedicated UAV platform, and previous prototypes of the Kizilelma and TB3 drones have been spotted on it in the past.
Before the latest flight, on November 18, Bayraktar published images of the TB3 taking off from a ski ramp against the backdrop of a sunset. The Daily Sabah newspaper reported that the drone had already completed six such tests. According to Turkish reports and statements from Bayraktar, the TB3, which features folding wings for its naval role, was initially planned for testing and, ultimately, for operational use aboard the TCG Anadolu.
The prototype that took off from the TCG Anadolu was the PT-2, which, in a video published by Baykar, is shown being lifted onto the flight deck using the rear elevator. The drone activated the TEI PD170 engine and took off using the STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) method from a 12-degree inclined ramp on the TCG Anadolu, according to the Turkish defense publication MahiVatan. The test flight lasted 46 minutes.
The camera mounted on the right wing shows the drone retracting its landing gear and flying mainly around the aircraft carrier. It then lowers the landing gear again and begins its approach for landing. The large electro-optical turret, which could be seen on other display models at defense exhibitions, is also not visible on this drone. Footage from a camera installed at the connection of the twin boom with the inverted V-tail of the drone shows the entire landing sequence, including various kinematic and telemetry data. The drone used its own braking system to stop on the 202-meter-long flight deck, without utilizing an arrestor hook.
During the landing, a light crosswind was reported, according to another Turkish defense news portal, Tr_tech. However, the autonomous flight algorithms successfully processed data from the sensors controlling the actuators and the PD170 engine, which led to a “perfect landing.”
Tr_tech also noted that another prototype, PT-1, was involved in the same test campaign. Both aircraft, which successfully completed ramp tests, took off from the Bayraktar Flight Training and Testing Center in Keşan and arrived at the Dalaman airfield command. Over the following days, the PT-1 conducted “close flights” over the TCG Anadolu, both day and night, eventually completing “takeoff trials.”
TurDef reports that the TB3 “will primarily operate as an armed ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) platform with flight durations ranging from 21 to 36 hours, depending on the payload.” Its main role will be to patrol around the landing helicopter dock (LHD) of the TCG Anadolu during amphibious operations.
The Turkish Navy also operates American helicopters, including the S-70B Sea Hawk and the AH-1W Super Cobra, which were present on the TCG Anadolu’s deck during its deployment. As a NATO member, Turkey has designed the ship to be compatible with Alliance equipment, as demonstrated by the landing of a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey on August 15, 2024.
The TB3 made its first flight in October 2023, and a year later, it was reported that the drone had entered serial production, with export orders expected to begin in early 2025. It remains unclear whether there are any differences between the export version and the one tested on the TCG Anadolu, or if there is a third prototype. It is also unknown whether the version that has entered production is intended for the Turkish Air Force or Army.
With a payload capacity of up to 280 kg, the TB3 can carry air-to-ground MAM series munitions, TOLUN SDB (small-diameter bomb), KEMANKEŞ 1 munitions, and air-to-air SUNGUR missiles, in addition to electronic reconnaissance and surveillance systems, as reported by TurDef. The drone is also compatible with other sensors, such as hydroacoustic buoys for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar.
Source: Theaviationist
