Albatros sea drones, Bayraktar TB3 showcase Türkiye’s naval drone doctrine PHOTO/VIDEO

The Turkish defence industry is advancing its maritime warfare capabilities with the integration of the ALBATROS unmanned surface vessel (USV) and the Bayraktar TB3 strike UAV, showcasing a new operational concept for autonomous naval strike missions.

Turkish defence news platform SavunmaSanayiST.com says that the two unmanned systems — developed by ASELSAN and Baykar respectively — will undergo joint trials during upcoming military exercises designed to highlight the next phase of Türkiye’s naval modernization, Caliber.Az reports.

🛩 Albatros ve Bayraktar TB3 ile denizde yeni konsept test edilecek!

ASELSAN’ın geliştirdiği ALBATROS kamikaze insansız deniz aracı, Bayraktar TB3 ile birlikte test edilecek.

Faaliyet kapsamında TCG Anadolu’dan havalanacak Bayraktar TB3, role uçağı görevini üstlenecek.… pic.twitter.com/1pHfDsCUM7

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) September 17, 2025

In the planned drills, the Bayraktar TB3, deployed from the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu, will serve as a communications relay platform, establishing a seamless link between the Albatros USV and its operator aboard the ship. During the exercise scenario, one or more Albatros kamikaze drones will be remotely controlled via the TB3 UAV and tasked with neutralizing a designated target vessel.

The Turkish Navy will use this exercise to demonstrate a novel strike doctrine specifically tailored for the TCG Anadolu — the flagship of the Navy’s expanding blue-water fleet — and the long-endurance Bayraktar TB3 UAV.

The ALBATROS system, developed by ASELSAN and already in operational use, has demonstrated significant lethality in previous trials. Equipped with a high-explosive warhead weighing approximately 250 kilograms, a single Albatros drone was previously able to sink a target vessel with one direct hit, ASELSAN noted.

More than just a kamikaze platform, the Albatros USV is capable of swarm operations and can be armed with the ATMACA anti-ship missile, adding long-range offensive capability to its arsenal. The Turkish Naval Command also employs the platform in training and simulation exercises, where it effectively mimics high-speed asymmetric threats — such as those posed by small, fast attack craft or suicide drones.

The ALBATROS family consists of several variants of high-speed, unmanned surface target boats, each optimized for different tactical applications: ALBATROS-T – 5 metres, ALBATROS-S – 7.2 metres, ALBATROS-K – 11 metres.

By Vafa Guliyeva