(MENAFN- AzerNews) Türkiye's new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), tailored
for the country's newly commissioned aircraft carrier, successfully
took to the skies on Friday for its inaugural flight, Azernews reports, citing the Turkish media.
The milestone comes as Türkiye celebrates its centenary,
encouraged by the profound transformation achieved in its defense
industry, marked by a range of homegrown air, land, and marine
platforms spearheaded by combat drones.
“On the Republic of Türkiye's centennial, the Bayraktar TB3
unmanned aerial vehicle successfully completed its maiden flight,”
Selçuk Bayraktar, Baykar's chief technology officer (CTO), said in
a video on the social media platform X, formerly known as
Twitter.
The TB3, a short-runway-capable version of Baykar's famed
Bayraktar TB2 platform, rolled out on a runway in northwestern
Türkiye before taking off from the Çorlu Flight Training and Test
Center.
It is the first of its kind, boasting the ability to fold its
wings and being capable of landing and taking off from a ship.
It is expected to be able to stay in the air more, climb to
higher altitudes, and carry more weapons than the TB2, which helped
swing conflicts in multiple countries, such as Azerbaijan and
Libya, and lastly, in Ukraine.
The TB2s played a pivotal role in countering Russian forces
early into Moscow's invasion.
The TB3 is designed for deployment from a newly commissioned
aircraft carrier, the TCG Anadolu, also dubbed the world's first
drone carrier.
The ship's air wing will also consist of Baykar's unmanned
fighter jet, Kızılelma, which completed its maiden flight last
December.
“Last year, per our promise to our nation, we completed the
first flight of our country's first unmanned combat aircraft,
Bayraktar Kızılelma, right here,” said Bayraktar.
“That happened just one month before the 100th year of our
Republic, and today, approximately one year later, we have
successfully carried out the first flight of the Bayraktar TB3,
which can take off from and land on short-runway ships of our
country.”
Kızılelma represents a significant expansion of capabilities for
slow-moving reconnaissance and missile-carrying drones. It promises
to increase the existing platforms' top speed and carrying
capacity.
Powered by a jet engine, Kızılelma shows similar exterior
features to fifth-generation fighter jets. In addition to
conventional drone missions, it can conduct air-to-air
engagements.
The TB3 is expected to have a range of 1,000 nautical miles,
that is, 1,900 kilometers.
Once they start operating on the TCG Anadolu air wing, TB3 and
Kızılelma will“revolutionize the history of warfare – just like
our UCAVs,” said Bayraktar.
“Let this be our gift to the centenary of our Republic.”
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