According to information published by Daily Sabbah on October 25, 2023, the Turkish company Baykar announced the successful completion of a critical high-speed roll test for its latest unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), TB3, engineered specifically for operations from the TCG Anadolu.
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Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle. (Picture source: Baykar)
The TB3, an agile short-runway variant of Baykar’s renowned TB2 platform, showcased its capability on a northwestern Turkish runway, as revealed in a video shared by the firm's Chief Technology Officer, Selçuk Bayraktar, on social media platform X, previously recognized as Twitter. The footage illustrated TB3 momentarily taking to the skies before gracefully alighting at the Çorlu Flight Training and Test Center.
This occasion marked the third high-speed roll test of TB3 in the ongoing month, signaling an imminent maiden flight as hinted by the company in prior statements. The TB3 stands as a groundbreaking model, featuring wing-folding technology that facilitates naval deployment, notably from ship platforms.
The UCAV is anticipated to eclipse its predecessor, TB2, by enduring longer aerial durations, reaching elevated altitudes, and bearing a greater arsenal. The TB2 has previously played instrumental roles in altering the course of confrontations across various nations including Azerbaijan, Libya, and most recently, Ukraine, by notably countering Russian forces at the onset of Moscow's incursion.
TB3’s design is tailored for deployment from the newly commissioned drone carrier, the TCG Anadolu, marking a significant stride in naval warfare capabilities. This venture is further augmented by Baykar's unmanned fighter jet, Kızılelma, which successfully accomplished its maiden flight last December, and is set to enhance the reconnaissance and missile-carrying capacities of existing drone platforms.
With a jet engine propelling Kızılelma, its design mirrors that of fifth-generation fighter jets, broadening its mission scope to encompass air-to-air engagements alongside conventional drone operations. TB3, on the other hand, boasts an impressive operational range of 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 kilometers), fortifying Turkey's aerial combat proficiencies in the modern warfare arena.
