Turkey has made Bayraktar TB3, which can take off from a ship and will go into production in 2024 (video)
How much more powerful is this UAV than its predecessor, and what else is worth paying attention to
The Turkish defense company Baykar Defense reported that its latest reconnaissance and strike drone, the Bayraktar TB3, made its maiden flight on October 27, 2023, an event that was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey.
It is noted that the first takeoff of the Bayraktar TB3 took place at the airfield of the training and flight center in the city of Chorlu, in northwestern Turkey. At the same time, this new UAV is primarily intended for maritime use, as it is essentially the first drone from Baykar Defense that can take off and land on ships with a flight deck and has folding wings for storage in a ship’s hangar.
Baykar Defense has released not only photos but also a video of the first flight of the Bayraktar TB3. There we cannot see the program under which the first flight test of this drone was carried out, but we can see an important feature of its characteristics – the ability to take off from short runways and on land, not to mention aircraft carriers.
The first presentation of the Bayraktar TB3 took place in March this year, and the basic characteristics of this reconnaissance and strike UAV became known then: fuselage length – 8.35 meters, wingspan – 14 meters, maximum takeoff weight – 1450 kg, including a combat load – up to 280 kg, weapons can be placed on 6 suspension units; power plant – PD170 from Turkish TEI with a capacity of 172 hp
In fact, this story is about a kind of “successor” to the Bayraktar TB2, which is distinguished by its increased size and enhanced reconnaissance and strike capabilities.
In particular, some sources claim that the Bayraktar TB3 will be able to vary the set of onboard equipment on a modular basis. And that this drone, unlike the Bayraktar TB2, will also be able to use L-UMTAS anti-tank guided missiles and Bozok planning bombs.
According to current plans, the Bayraktar TB3 is expected to go into mass production in 2024, and will be primarily intended for the Turkish Navy, which needs such drones to man the air group of the TGG Anadolu, which was originally designed for the F-35B.
In fact, the Bayraktar TB3 development program was called to life precisely because Turkey needed an alternative to the F-35B, the purchase of which was blocked by US sanctions imposed on Turkey and Russia over the S-400 air defense system contract.
