Bayraktar TB3 UCAV successfully conducts AI-powered takeoff and landing on short-runway carrier

ANKARA/ISTANBUL, 4 June (BelTA - Anadolu) - Türkiye's brand-new locally designed and produced unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB3 has passed another important stage in its tests on the TCG Anadolu short-runway carrier, passing 100 sorties.

According to a statement made by the drone's maker Baykar, the tests of Bayraktar TB3, the first UCAV in the history of world aviation that can take off and land fully autonomously from a ship with a short runway, were successfully carried out on TCG Anadolu.

In the latest tests Bayraktar TB3's fully automatic take-off and landing capability, supported by image-based artificial intelligence (AI), was also tested.

Important capabilities such as visual line tracking, aircraft carrier detection, runway detection and landing angle estimation with ground vision were successfully tested.

Bayraktar TB3 successfully made its first flight from TCG Anadolu on Nov. 19, 2024, marking a first in the history of world aviation.

Bayraktar TB3 UCAV will be the leading UAV in its class when it enters the inventory with its folding wing structure as well as the capabilities it will have.

The national UCAV, which will also have beyond line-of-sight communication capability, will be able to be controlled from very long distances.

It will provide a multiplier effect in Türkiye's deterrent power by performing reconnaissance-surveillance, intelligence and attack missions with the smart munitions it carries against overseas targets.

The manufacturer of Bayraktar TB3, became the export leader of the defense and aerospace sector in 2021, 2022 and 2023, according to data from the Secretariat of Defense Industries and the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM).

Baykar, ranked among the top 10 companies with the highest exports in all sectors in Türkiye.

The Turkish drone giant, the world's largest UAV company, has signed export agreements with 35 countries for Bayraktar TB2 UCAV and 15 countries for Bayraktar Akinci UCAV.