Bayraktar TB3 made its first flight (video)
Baykar engineers have successfully conducted flight tests of the latest Bayraktar TB3 folding wing attack drone. A promising drone with a laser guidance system and a suspension for high-precision weapons took to the skies for the first time.
The Bayraktar TB3 was originally designed to be deployed on ships with a flight deck. That’s why it got folding wings. The new drone surpasses its predecessor in all respects. For example, the weight of the payload that a UAV can carry has increased from 55 to 280 kg. The takeoff weight of the aircraft increased from 650 to 1,450 kg. A drone can stay in the air for more than 50 hours instead of 24. The flight speed increased from 222 to 300 km/h.
Baykar engineers installed a Turkish-made PD170 turbodiesel engine on the Bayraktar TB3. The new drone looks similar to the Bayraktar TB2. It has folding wings and large dimensions. The UAV was supposed to make its first flight in 2022, but this did not happen.
After completing the test cycle, official Ankara plans to deploy about 40 such aircraft on board the Anandolu landing ship. The ship will have a command center capable of simultaneously controlling at least 10 drones.
