The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV took off from a ramp for the first time during a test conducted today at the Baykar Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne. The runway, built to match the specifications of the deck conditions on the TCG Anadolu where the Bayraktar TB3 will be deployed, includes a ramp with a 12-degree slope. During this initial ramp take-off test, the UCAV successfully performed four take-offs from the ramp. This marks the beginning of the test campaign phase prior to embarkation, as well as the drone’s 46th flight test.
According to information published on Baykar Tech’s website, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV has accumulated a total of 395 hours and 43 minutes of flight time in test flights to date. Notably, during a long-duration flight test on December 20, 2023, the national UCAV remained airborne for 32 hours without landing, covering a distance of 5,700 km.
With its folding wing structure, the UCAV will be the first armed unmanned aerial vehicle in the world capable of taking off and landing from short-runway ships such as the TCG Anadolu. Baykar’s Chairman of the Board and Technology Leader, Selçuk Bayraktar, announced plans to begin testing the Bayraktar TB3 on the TCG Anadolu in 2024.
According to the company, the capabilities of the Bayraktar TB3 represent a significant innovation in this class of unmanned aerial vehicles. Equipped with beyond line-of-sight communication capability, the UCAV can be controlled from very long distances. This enables it to carry out reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and attack missions with the smart munitions it carries, targeting overseas objectives.
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
