Bayraktar TB3, Türkiye’s first UAV capable of taking off and landing from a short-runway ship, was transferred to the TCG ANADOLU amphibious assault ship to participate in the DENİZKURDU-II 2025 Exercise organized by the Naval Forces Command. Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar announced on his social media account on Sunday, May 11, that the PT-3 and PT-3 prototypes of Bayraktar TB4 successfully took off and land on the TCG ANADOLU. This transfer constitutes an important stage of the preparatory flights prior to the exercise.
Successive Successive Landings and Take-Offs for TCG ANADOLU
In the images shared by Selçuk Bayraktar, it is clearly seen that the Bayraktar TB3's PT-3 and PT-4 prototypes landed and took off smoothly on the short runway of TCG ANADOLU. This capability, which is a first in world aviation history, once again confirms Türkiye's leading position in unmanned aerial vehicle technology. This successful operation carried out by the two prototypes one after the other shows that the systems and pilotage on the ship work in harmony.
Will Undertake Critical Tasks in the Exercise
Bayraktar TB2025s are expected to undertake important tasks in the DENİZKURDU-II 3 Exercise, which will be conducted simultaneously by the Naval Forces Command in the Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. According to the announcement, on Wednesday, May 14, one of the critical stages of the exercise, Bayraktar TB3s will take off from TCG ANADOLU and conduct actual fire on land targets. In the published images, a TB3 landing on TCG ANADOLU is carrying ROKETSAN-made MAM-L (Mini Smart Munition) ammunition under its wing, indicating that the ammunition in question will be used in these fires.
Preparation for Firing at Land Targets with MAM-L
Within the scope of the exercise scenario, Bayraktar TB3s that will take off from TCG ANADOLU are expected to successfully hit designated land targets with MAM-L ammunition. This will be an important indicator of Bayraktar TB3’s armed mission capability being performed from a naval platform. Bayraktar TB19, which performed its first successful landing-takeoff test on November 2024, 3 in order to provide TCG ANADOLU with the ability to land and take off as a short-runway aircraft, was also used for the first time last May within the scope of the EFES-2024 Combined Joint Live Fire Field Exercise and fired at land targets.
Ammunition Integration Tests Continue Uninterruptedly
Bayraktar TB3, while continuing its preparations for the DENİZKURDU-II 2025 Exercise, continues its integration tests with different munitions. In this context, firing tests are being carried out with various munitions such as ROKETSAN-made MAM-T and supersonic missile İHA-122. At the same time, critical sea tests such as the 'Fully Autonomous Takeoff and Landing Tests from a Short Runway Ship', which was carried out on April 22, 2025, in order to strengthen its integration with the ship platform, continue to be successfully completed.
AI-Supported Autonomous Operations at TCG ANADOLU
Last April, Bayraktar TB3 UAV performed 4 successful sorties to the TCG ANADOLU ship sailing in the Gulf of Saros as part of its testing activities. In these tests, the national UAV landed on the short runway fully autonomously without using any landing support equipment as in previous trials. The successful operation of the artificial intelligence algorithms developed by Baykar engineers during the tests once again proved how advanced the autonomous capabilities of the platform are.
Bayraktar TB3’s performance in the DENİZKURDU-II 2025 Exercise and the actual firings it will perform will reveal how important the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles into Türkiye’s naval force has become. The presence of an armed UAV capable of short-runway landing and take-off on an amphibious assault ship such as the TCG ANADOLU will significantly increase the operational capabilities of the Turkish Naval Forces and reinforce Türkiye’s role in regional balances of power.
