Turkish Bayraktar TB3 drone lands autonomously on short-runway ship VIDEO

The Turkish company Baykar has successfully conducted another round of flight tests for its Bayraktar TB3 strike drone, which features a foldable wing design.

The Turkish defence website SavunmaSanayiSt.com shared the update on its X account, Caliber.Az reports.

The Bayraktar TB3, the first UAV in global aviation history to take off and land from a ship with a short runway, successfully completed four takeoffs and landings on the TCG Anadolu, stationed in the Saros Gulf. These operations were part of the "Fully Autonomous Shipborne Takeoff and Landing Tests on a Short Runway."

The domestically produced drone landed on the short runway without the use of any auxiliary landing equipment, just as it did in previous tests.

Fully autonomous takeoffs and landings were achieved with the support of artificial intelligence algorithms.

🔴Testin detayları...

▫️Bayraktar TB3 SİHA, test sırasında Saros körfezinde seyreden TCG Anadolu gemisine 4 sorti gerçekleştirdi.

▫️Böylece TCG Anadolu gemisine 4 kez başarıyla kalkış-iniş yapan Bayraktar TB3, son sortisini ise gün batımında tamamladı.

▫️Milli SİHA kısa piste… https://t.co/9Tk0TZOp0V pic.twitter.com/L53SjfZE7y

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) April 22, 2025

The Bayraktar TB3 is a next-generation unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by the Turkish defence company Baykar. It is a naval variant of the widely known Bayraktar TB2, which gained international attention for its successful deployment in various conflict zones.

Unlike its predecessor, the TB3 is specifically designed for operations from naval platforms, most notably from short-runway aircraft carriers such as Türkiye’s TCG Anadolu. One of its most notable features is its foldable wing mechanism, which allows the drone to be stored and operated more efficiently in confined naval environments. The drone is equipped with advanced artificial intelligence algorithms that enable fully autonomous takeoff and landing, a significant technological achievement in naval UAV operations.

The TCG Anadolu—originally planned as a landing helicopter dock (LHD) ship—has been repurposed to function as the world’s first UAV aircraft carrier, further demonstrating Türkiye’s strategic investment in drone warfare and maritime power projection.

By Khagan Isayev