Turkey’s Baykar preparing shipborne fleet of combat drones
POLITICS
12.08.2021 | 18:01Turkish drone maker Baykar has released new details about its newest armed drone, designed to launch from ships packed with unmanned aircraft, according to Defensenews.com.
“The Bayraktar TB-3, which is still in development, will be a larger and more capable model in the same family as the TB-2,” the company’s chief technology officer, Selcuk Bayraktar, said during an Aug. 4 online presentation sponsored by Gebze Technology University.
“When we began this project, no fixed-wing UAV could take off from LHD-class, short-runway ships,” he explained, using shorthand for unmanned aerial vehicles and landing helicopter dock naval vessels. “We believe that the TB-3, which can stay in the air for an extended period and is equipped with ammunition, will fill a gap in this field,” Bayraktar said.
The new TB-3 drones are slated to ride aboard Turkey’s future Landing Helicopter Dock Anadolu.
Bayraktar also noted that the ship doesn’t need sophisticated launch and trap systems, adding: “A simple roller system and rescue nets would be enough for secure takeoff and landing, and it can even land without a rescue net.”