During the test, Bayraktar TB3 carried out its final sortie at sunset, completing all four missions without the aid of landing assistance equipment. Baykar confirmed that artificial intelligence algorithms developed in-house supported the autonomous manoeuvres throughout the exercise.
The company reported that the Bayraktar TB3 has now accumulated 1,016 hours and 42 minutes of flight time. A significant portion of this was achieved during a 32-hour endurance test on 20 December 2023, during which the aircraft covered 5,700 kilometres.
Bayraktar TB3 became the first UCAV in aviation history to perform take-offs and landings from a short-runway vessel with its debut on 19 November 2024 off the coast of Aksaz, Muğla. Further successful sorties followed on 26 November 2024, establishing a global first in naval aviation.
The UCAV also demonstrated precision strike capabilities in live-fire trials on 25 and 27 March 2025 using Roketsan’s UAV-122 supersonic missile. In the second test, a camouflaged naval target measuring 6×6 metres was destroyed using low-altitude, beyond-line-of-sight targeting coordinated with a Bayraktar TB2.
On 25 June 2024, Bayraktar TB3 achieved a new milestone by reaching 36,310 feet during a high-altitude test flight powered by the indigenously developed PD-170 engine by TEI. This test was conducted at Baykar’s Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne.
The aircraft also completed a successful integration of ASELSAN’s ASELFLIR-500 electro-optical targeting system during a flight on 26 March 2024. Baykar noted that this system delivers “best-in-class performance compared to its global counterparts”.
With its foldable wings and long-range operational capacity, Bayraktar TB3 is expected to serve as a strategic overseas force multiplier for Türkiye. Baykar stated the UCAV is equipped to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision strike missions from great distances.
Baykar has conducted all development projects through self-funding and reported that 83% of its revenue has come from exports since 2003. The company generated $1.8 billion in export sales in both 2023 and 2024, representing 90% of its annual revenue last year.
As the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle company, Baykar has signed export agreements with 36 countries. These include deals for the Bayraktar TB2 with 34 nations and for the Bayraktar AKINCI with 11.
Baykar was the top defence and aerospace exporter in Türkiye for three consecutive years, according to data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) and the Defence Industry Agency (SSB). In 2024, it accounted for one-fourth of the sector’s total exports.
