Baykar chairman: Bayraktar TB3 to be armed with long-range munition PHOTO

Chairman of the Turkish defence company Baykar Selcuk Bayraktar has given information about the Bayraktar TB3 on the TCG ANADOLU Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship and announced the KEMANKEŞ long-range ammunition for the first time.

“Kızılelma's wings are 10 metres long, while TB3's wings are 14 metres long. We designed it this way to save space in hangars. TEİ is building the engine of Bayraktar TB3. Piston engines are very old technology in aviation. The engine made by TEİ is very advanced. The piston diesel engine on the TB3 is the most advanced aviation engine. It has a 3-stage turbo. It has the advantage of being diesel, and it also runs on jet fuel. This makes Bayraktar TB3 very suitable for this ship. It has special aerodynamic surfaces and braking systems. We can see payloads and light torpedoes. They have not been built yet. Türkiye has a very large ammunition family. We will introduce the KEMANKEŞ system at Teknofest. Cruise missiles with a range of several hundred kilometres are being built. Türkiye has made progress in conventional smart munitions. We will be able to see them all on Bayraktar TB3 and Kızılelma,” Defence Turk quotes Bayraktar as saying.

Considering Baykar's field of activity, it can be expected that the developed munition will be an entangling munition and that development activities will be carried out in cooperation with ROKETSAN, similar to the ALPAGUT entangling munition. Bayraktar TB3 and stand-off munitions can be considered as a cost-effective combination in support of landing operations and surface warfare.

In addition, munitions such as MAM-T and KUZGUN-SS, which have high destructive power and allow for shorter-range but more rapid attacks, are also important alternatives for the TB3's short-range firepower.

The mention of lightweight torpedoes in terms of the payloads to be carried by Bayraktar TB3 also indicates that there are some intentions to use Bayraktar TB3 in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) missions in addition to attacking land and sea targets.

Considering ORKA and similar light-class torpedoes, these torpedoes will be too heavy for Bayraktar TB3 with a weight of around 300 kg. Levent Çomoğlu, ROKETSAN Underwater Systems Project Manager, announced at the 10th Naval Systems Seminar that a mini torpedo of more reasonable weight is being developed for UAVs and UAVs. Examples such as the 1.1 m long and 11 kg Black Scorpion mini torpedo developed by Leonardo can shed light on what the mini torpedo to be developed might look like.

🔵🇹🇷Baykar'dan KEMANKEŞ uzun menzilli mühimmat!

🔸KEMANKEŞ mühimmatının TEKNOFEST 2023'te tanıtılması planlanıyor
🔸Bayraktar TB3 SİHA için mini torpido kullanımı değerlendiriliyorhttps://t.co/D0v91JAAlK

— Defence Turk (@Defence_Turk) April 11, 2023