Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB3 drone hits target 50km away in successful test-firing

Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB3, which recently made aviation history as the first UCAV to successfully take off and land on a short-runway vessel, reached another significant milestone in its development program.

On Tuesday, March 25, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV took off from Dalaman, Mugla, carrying the IHA-122 Supersonic Missile developed by Roketsan. During its first test firing, the TB3 successfully hit a 6-by-6-meter floating target at sea from a distance of over 50 kilometers.

In a coordinated effort, a Bayraktar TB2 UCAV provided laser target designation from the air, with the designated target subsequently destroyed by the Bayraktar TB3. This successful test highlighted the capability of two airborne UCAVs to work together in laser designation and target engagement.

Turkish defense giant Baykar will continue the Bayraktar TB3’s munitions and payload integration tests, adhering to the established development schedule.

Aviation history

The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV, developed indigenously by Baykar, successfully took off from the short runway with a 12-degree ski-jump ramp on board the TCG Anadolu vessel on November 19, 2024. Conducting a historic 46-minute test flight at the intersection of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, the Bayraktar TB3 achieved a global first by landing successfully on the same short runway without using any landing support equipment.

Continuing its successful shipboard trials, the Bayraktar TB3 performed two additional take-offs and landings without support equipment during the second test flight, as TCG Anadolu sailed off the coast of Canakkale. The indigenously developed UCAV successfully executed all test parameters, completing the test flight at an average cruising altitude of 20,000 feet.

On June 25, 2024, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV successfully completed a High-Altitude System Performance Test at Baykar Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne, reaching an altitude of 36,310 feet. Powered by the domestically developed PD-170 engine by TEI, the indigenous UCAV thus surpassed another critical milestone. Meanwhile, Türkiye’s national aviation altitude record remains with the Bayraktar Akinci UCAV—also developed indigenously by Baykar—which stands at 45,118 feet.

968 hours of total flight time

The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV has accumulated a total flight time of 967 hours and 55 minutes throughout its test flights to date. In a long-endurance flight test conducted on December 20, 2023, the indigenous UCAV remained airborne continuously for 32 hours, covering a distance of 5,700 kilometers.

On March 26, 2024, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV flew for the first time with the ASELFLIR-500 Electro-Optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Targeting System, indigenously developed by Aselsan. During the test, the integration of the ASELFLIR-500, which offers superior performance compared to its global counterparts, was successfully completed.

The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV, featuring foldable wings along with advanced capabilities, is set to become the leading unmanned aerial vehicle in its class. Equipped with Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communication capabilities, the indigenous UCAV will be operable from very long distances.

With these capabilities, it will serve as a force multiplier for Türkiye’s deterrent power by conducting reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence, and strike missions against overseas targets using its smart munitions.

Turkis defense industry’s export champion

Baykar, which has financed all its projects through its own resources since its founding, has generated 83% of its total revenues from exports since beginning UAV research and development activities in 2003.

In 2023, Baykar recorded $1.8 billion in exports, placing it among Türkiye’s top ten exporters across all sectors. Maintaining its global leadership in the UAV export market, Baykar continued this success in 2024, achieving another $1.8 billion in exports, accounting for 90% of its total revenue.

Recipient of the prestigious Champions of Export Award, Baykar was Türkiye’s defense and aviation industry export leader in 2021, 2022, and 2023 according to data from the Defense Industry Agency (SSB) and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

Having single-handedly accounted for one-third of the industry’s total exports in the previous year, Baykar achieved a quarter of the sector’s total exports in 2024, solidifying Türkiye’s position as the global leader in the UCAV export market. Baykar, currently the world’s largest UAV company, has signed export agreements with a total of 36 countries—34 for the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV and 11 for the Bayraktar Akinci UCAV.