First flight of Bayraktar TB3, the Turkish drone designed to operate from aircraft carriers

Türkiye’s new unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), the Bayraktar TB3, designed for the country’s newly commissioned aircraft carrier, successfully took off on its maiden flight on Friday.

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The milestone was announced by Selçuk Bayraktar, Baykar’s chief technology officer, in a video on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter: «On the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle successfully completed its maiden flight.»

The TB3 is an evolved, short runway capable version of Baykar’s famous Bayraktar TB2 platform, widely used in the war in Ukraine and several other recent combat scenarios. This UCAV is the first of its kind with the ability to fold its wings and was designed to be able to land and take off from the runway of an amphibious assault ship or aircraft carrier.

See also: Baykar unveils new loitering ammunition for drones with more than 50 km range

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It is expected to be able to stay in the air longer (with an expected range of 1,000 nautical miles), climb to higher altitudes and carry more weapons than the TB2, and thanks to the use of a new generation of smart munitions, the Bayraktar TB3 will be able to perform its reconnaissance-surveillance, intelligence and offensive missions against targets at long range and with greater chances of survival.