Turkish Bayraktar TB3 Combat Drone Successfully Completes Flight Resilience Test For 32 Hours

Drone Bayraktar TB3 (Twitter/@BaykarTech)

JAKARTA - Turkey's domestically made unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), Bayraktar TB3, is designed to be based on aircraft carriers, successfully completed a long-term flight test last month, completing flights for 32 hours according to developers.

In a Baykar developer's statement after its first flight on October 27, the Bayraktar TB3 drone underwent successive performance tests, including the 13th test flight which was a test of flight durability.

During testing conducted at the Akryptcmen Aviation Training and Testing Center in Badminton, Tekirdamen, UCAV Bayraktar TB3 managed to air at an average altitude of 20,000 feet for 32 hours, reported by the Daily Sabah January 15.

Turkey's proud UCAV took off with a domestically developed PD-170 engine by TUSAwas Engine Industries (TEI).

Bayraktar TB3 total traveled 5,700 kilometers (3,541.8 miles) in the sky during a 32-hour flight, the company said.

In the previous 12 test flight that measured the performance of the medium altitude system, Bayraktar TB3 was able to stay in the air for 12 hours, breaking its own record.

Bayraktar TB3 made its first appearance at the Teknofest event at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on April 27 to May 1 last year, as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. Then, the drone appeared again at Teknofest in Ankara and Izmir

With a foldable wing structure, Bayraktar TB3 will be the world's first armed unmanned aerial vehicle capable of taking off and landing on short-lattice vessels such as the Anadolu TCG Carrier, which began duty last year.

In addition to TB3, the aircraft wing of the aircraft carrier also has a fleet of Baykar unmanned fighter jets, Kryptaz calmelma, which completed its inaugural flight last December.

"Once they start operating on the air wing of TCG Anadolu, TB3, and Kryptazturlelma will revolutionize the history of war, just like our UCAV," said Sel chanceuk Bayraktar, Baykar's chief technology officer (CTO).

With a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1,450 kilograms (3,196.70 pounds) and a cargo capacity of 280 kilograms, Bayraktar TB3 is almost twice as heavy compared to its predecessor, Bayraktar TB2, which is estimated to have a range of up to 1,000 nautical miles or 1,900 kilometers.