Azernews.Az

The PT-3 and PT-4 prototypes of the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) have been deployed to the TCG Anadolu as part of preparations for the Denizkurdu-2025 military exercise. The two UCAVs, which conducted consecutive takeoff and landing operations on the ship, are scheduled to carry out a salvo strike against land targets using MAM-L munitions on May 14.

As part of the preparatory flights for the Denizkurdu-2025 Exercise, the PT-3 and PT-4 prototypes of the Bayraktar TB3 were transferred to the TCG Anadolu. Under the command of the Turkish Naval Forces, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs will carry out salvo strikes on land targets with MAM-L smart munitions during the exercise.

On May 9, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs, tail-numbered PT-3 and PT-4, took off from Keşan in the Edirne province and deployed to the TCG Anadolu. Following deployment, munition loading tests were conducted aboard the ship. The two UCAVs performed successive takeoff and landing maneuvers, with all control procedures managed simultaneously via the Ground Control Station (GCS) located on the TCG Anadolu. All flight operations were carried out fully autonomously, powered by AI-assisted mission algorithms developed by Baykar.

As part of the exercise, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs with tail numbers PT-3 and PT-4 will each conduct a salvo strike using two MAM-L munitions on land targets. After the strike, the UCAVs will perform formation flights and a flyby salute around the TCG Anadolu. These missions will be carried out on May 14, 2025, during the Distinguished Observer Day as part of the exercise scenario.

The Bayraktar TB3, the world’s first UCAV capable of fully autonomous takeoff and landing on a short-runway vessel, has completed a total of 24 sorties in trials conducted aboard the TCG Anadolu off the coast of the Gulf of Saros since April 22. On April 25, 2025, the fourth prototype (PT-4) took off from Keşan and landed on the ship for the first time, officially joining the testing phase. This marked the first instance of two domestically produced UCAVs being deployed on the TCG Anadolu simultaneously. The test operations were personally overseen by Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar, with Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu also observing onboard the vessel.