Bayraktar TB3 Completes 100 Sorties from TCG Anadolu Amphibious Assault Ship during Ongoing Sea Trials

Bayraktar TB3, the world’s first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of fully autonomous takeoff and landing from a short-runway vessel, has completed 100 sorties aboard the TCG Anadolu as part of ongoing test operations.

The latest milestone was achieved during a series of sea trials held between May 28 and June 2, where the UCAV’s vision-based, AI-assisted takeoff and landing system was evaluated. These tests demonstrated key capabilities such as visual line tracking, ship-based runway detection, and landing angle estimation through ground imagery.

Following the tests, the TB3 units with tail numbers PT-3 and PT-4 returned to Baykar’s Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan from waters off Muğla’s Aksaz district.

According to Baykar, the TB3 has now logged 1,167 hours and 8 minutes of flight time, with 709 sorties completed since the start of the test program. Designed and developed by Baykar using entirely domestic resources, the TB3 features a folding-wing structure and is powered by the TEI-made PD-170 engine. On June 25, 2024, the UCAV reached a flight ceiling of 36,310 feet.

On May 14, during the Distinguished Observer Day of the SEAWOLF-2025 Exercise in the Mediterranean, Bayraktar TB3s launched from the TCG Anadolu and carried out dual strikes using Roketsan’s MAM-L munitions. These tests followed earlier flight trials over the Gulf of Saros between April 22 and 25 and a live-fire exercise on May 11 involving ASELFLIR-500 and Aselsan CATS sensors.