Beirut: Turkish firm Baykar’s unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB3 performed its first successful flight test to take off and land on the Turkish ship TCG Anadolu, a short runway vessel, the firm said in a statement.
“The flight, conducted at the convergence of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, lasted for 46 minutes before the aircraft successfully landed back on the same short runway, without the need for any landing support equipment,” Baykar said in the statement.
Bayraktar TB3 performed the test on November 19 after completing open-sea shipboard trials.
The drone had completed its maiden flight from land in October 2023, and it became the first Turkish UAV to be deployed from the drone carrier TCG Anadolu. The vessel is expected to also host Bayraktar TB3 and Kizilelma drones.
Bayraktar TB3 PT1 and PT2 UCAVs underwent flight trainings from the company’s Flight Training and Test Centre in Edirne to Dalaman Air Base Command. Bayraktar TB3 PT1 was deployed in flights during day and night on TCG Anadolu and “successfully complet[ed] Approach Tests without any issues,” according to the statement.
Though the company hailed the takeoff and landing as a world first from a short-runway ship, other drones have executed flights from maritime vessels before, including US drone-maker General Atomics’s Mojave, which conducted a short takeoff and landing from the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales a year ago this month. Bakyar did not respond to a request for additional comment by press time.
Either way, the demonstration shows the continued interest of the world’s navies in carrier-drone operations. Beyond the Mojave tests, the US Navy is pushing ahead with carrier-based drone control rooms. In May reports emerged that China may have constructed a relatively small carrier specifically designed for drone operations.
Raksha Anirveda's editorial desk team brings in the collective experience of creative professionals - a fine mix of senior copy editors, writers, proofreaders and designers. Working as a team, they continuously create, manage, and curate content to sustain the magazine's profile and reputation in line with market trends and achieve magazine's goal.
