Bayraktar TB3 and AKINCI reach major milestones

By Austin Haywood, published on 1st December 2024. 

The Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) from Baykar Technologies has completed an unassisted take-off and landing on the TCG Anadolu, a Turkish naval vessel, according to a 19th of November Baykar press release. This test marked the latest in a busy month for the Turkish company, with its AKINCI drone successfully conducting a ballistic missile test on the 13th November. It demonstrated the ability to fire two Roketsan UAV-230 supersonic missiles and hit a target from a distance of 155 km. Following this, Roketsan’s LACIN IIR guidance kit was successfully tested aboard the AKINCI and completed its first successful test fire on the 15th of November.

On the 19th of November, the Bayraktar TB3 successfully took off from the TCG Anadolu’s short deck, which features a 12% incline ramp and then landed completely unassisted. This development follows several other milestones which the TB3 has achieved in recent months, including a high altitude performance test where the TB3 reached 36,310 feet and the successful integration of ASELFLIR-500, an electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system developed by Aselan. The TCG Andalou is a Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship and the TB3 has been designed to be launched and operated specifically from it and it forms a part of Turkey’s efforts to build more capable naval forces. The Andalou will also be able to carry the Zaha amphibious armoured fighting vehicles and support up to a battalion of troops. 

The AKINCI tests earlier in the month demonstrate the growing lethality of UCAVs. On the 13th of November, the AKINCI successfully fired two of Roketsan’s UAV-230 supersonic missiles. The ballistic missile (domestically known as the IHA-230) is an air-launched variant of Roketsan’s TRG-230 surface-to-surface missile; it is effective against various targets, including lightly armoured vehicles and command centres. It has a suite of warheads, including a 42 kg anti-armour variant and a thermobaric option. The system operates a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) supported by inertial guidance capability. The missile’s inertial navigation system (INS) uses an inertial measurement unit (IMU) containing microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensors which monitor the missile’s angular rate and acceleration, combined with the GNSS system, which monitors position, velocity and time the system can provide more accurate positioning than a standalone GNSS would be able to. Roketsan states that it is capable of hitting mobile targets, however, it does not mention any form of terminal guidance or seeker. 

In a further boost to the AKINCI’S potential lethality, it was flown on the 15th of November with Roketsan’s LAÇİN IIR Guidance kit. The LAÇİN is a guidance kit developed for conventional dumb bombs like the MK 82. The kit  transforms general-purpose bombs into precision strike weapons through the use of an IMU, GPS and infrared seeker. It is coupled with a system called L-POD, which allows the pilot to issue targets to the bombs and corrections via a data link. It has a reported range of 28 km at an altitude of 20,000 feet, is capable of travelling at Mach 0.9 or a range of 52 km at an altitude of 40,000 feet travelling at Mach 1.1.

Tech profile: AKINCI

The Bayraktar AKINCI UCA is capable of executing both air-to-air and air-to-ground strike missions; it has an operational altitude of 30,000 feet with a limit of 45,118 feet and an operational range of 6,000 km beyond line of sight control. The AKINCI has three variants: the standard is powered by two 450hp twin turboprop engines, the B variant by two 750hp engines and the C variant, which completed its first test flight in February 2024, by two 850hp engines. The AKINCI has a cruise speed of 278 km/h and a max speed of 445 km/h. Baykar’s AKINCI weighs 6,000kg and has an additional payload capacity of 1,500kg which enables it to carry larger weapons like the UAV-230’s at 225 kg. Another missile worth mentioning is Roketsan’s stand-off missile (SOM)-A, an air-to-surface cruise missile with high precision and a range of 250 km guided by INS and GPS, providing the AKINCI with deep strike capabilities, reducing the exposure of the UCAV to air defence interceptions.

The AKINCI uses Aselan’s ASEFLIR-500 electro-optical reconnaissance and surveillance system, fitted with artificial intelligence (AI) avionics, to assist signal processing, sensor fusion, and situational awareness. It is also fitted with Aselan’s active electronically scanned array (ASEA) synthetic aperture radar, used to detect targets on land or sea in all weather conditions, including rain and clouds. Export agreements for Baykar’s Bayraktar AKINCI have been signed with ten countries, including Saudi Arabia. 

Tech profile: TB3

The TB3 measures 8.35 metres in length, has a 14-metre wingspan, and weighs 1,600 kg. A TEI PD-170 engine powers the drone with a top speed of 240 km/h, compared to its predecessor, the Bayraktar TB2’s 100hp internal combustion engine, providing a maximum speed of 222 km/h. Although test flights total only 829 hours, the results are extremely promising, with the longest test flight being 32 hours and the TB3 travelling roughly 5,700km. The TB3’s short take-off and landing capabilities (STOL) and foldable wing design enables it to be based on a carrier like the TCG Andalou. 

The Bayraktar TB3 has a payload of 280 kg compared to the TB2, which had a capacity of 150kg. The TB3 is capable of carrying a variety of munitions including laser-guided, GPS guided, IR guided and air-to-air munitions. The air-to-air munitions likely include Roketsan’s SUNGUR air-to-air missile, originally a shoulder-launched air-to-air missile converted to be fired from the TB3.

Focusing on the technical capabilities of the TB3, specifically the ASELFLIR-500, which has a 3-5micrometer high-resolution IR camera, day camera, short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera, laser target marking unit, laser distance measurement unit, laser tracking and laser pointing. Like the AKINCI, The system uses AI-enabled image processing, specifically by implementing deep learning (a sub-section of machine learning) to create model-based algorithms that help support the image’s quality. To support targeting, the laser system has an effective range of 35km.

Once fully developed, an estimated 30-50 Bayraktar TB3 drones could operate from the TCG Anadolu. It is expected that the success of the TB3 will lay the foundations for Baykar’s Bayraktar Kizilelma UCAV, which it plans to demonstrate on the TCG Anadolu in 2025 following its maiden flight in December 2023 and the completion of flight and system identification tests in April 2024. The Bayraktar Kizilelma is an unmanned fighter jet capable of taking off and landing on short-runway aircraft carriers; the UCAV is promised to be highly manoeuvrable and powered by an AI-322F turbofan engine capable of flying at 0.9 Mach or an estimated 1,070km/h and a payload of 1,500kg. Munition options for the Kizilelma include Roketsan’s UAV-230 supersonic missile and reportedly also include Roketsan’s SOM-J air-to-surface cruise missile, which has a range of 275km and travels at high subsonic speeds. It is being positioned as a loyal wingman to carry out air-to-air combat operations alongside the TAI TF KAAN, a 5th generation fighter jet, serving as a replacement for the F-35 following the removal of Turkey from the project.

Calibre comment

Turkey’s star drone developer is moving from strength-to-strength after the widely publicised performance of the TB2 in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. A contract was also announced with Croatia in November, which bought six TB2s at a value of €67.01 million. The AKINCI and TB3 technical capabilities indicate that Baykar is working to improve the survivability of its larger drones by increasing their ability to engage targets at stand-off distances. The addition of AI to the optical systems of its UCAVs may also help improve survivability by enhancing the quality of imaging at long-range. Furthermore, the launch and recovery of the TB3 from the TCG Andalou reflects a growing trend amongst navies to employ UCAVs from carriers to extend the range at which ISR can be gathered in an age when crewed platforms are more scarce than in previous conflicts.