Turkey to Launch First Routine Strike Drone Operations from TCG Anadolu in September 2025

Ankara, September 2025 — Türkiye is set to make naval aviation history this month as the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) begins regular operations from the flagship TCG Anadolu. The announcement was confirmed by Rear Admiral Recep Erdinç Yetkin at the Teknofest Mavi Vatan event, alongside Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar. This milestone marks the first time in the world a fixed-wing, strike-capable UCAV will conduct routine missions from a large deck naval vessel.

From Trials to Operations

The Bayraktar TB3’s journey to operational readiness has been marked by a series of successful trials:

• In November 2024, the TB3 became the first drone in history to take off and land on a short-deck amphibious assault ship without landing assistance.

• By April 2025, it had completed four fully autonomous sorties from Anadolu during tests in the Gulf of Saros, validating AI-supported takeoff and landing systems.

• In May 2025, armed TB3 prototypes conducted live-fire tests, launching precision-guided MAM-L smart munitions from the deck of Anadolu.

• Earlier, in January 2025, the UCAV had already proven strike capability with MAM-T missiles, supported by Aselsan’s ASELFLIR-500 electro-optical targeting system.

These achievements confirmed the TB3’s ability to perform intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike missions under real maritime conditions.

Technical Capabilities

The Bayraktar TB3 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone designed specifically for shipborne use. Key features include:

• Length: 8.35 meters

• Wingspan: 14 meters (with folding wing design for carrier storage)

• Maximum Takeoff Weight: ~1,450–1,600 kg

• Payload Capacity: 280 kg

• Endurance: Over 21 hours

• Operating Altitude: 20,000–25,000 feet

• Engine: Indigenous TEI-PD170 turbodiesel

The TB3 can carry a range of Turkish-made smart munitions including MAM-L, MAM-T, and L-UMTAS, making it capable of both land-attack and maritime strike missions. It also supports satellite communications for beyond-line-of-sight operations, allowing missions far from Türkiye’s coastline.

TCG Anadolu – The World’s First Drone Carrier

The TCG Anadolu (L-400), displacing 27,000 tons and measuring 231 meters, is Türkiye’s largest warship and the world’s first dedicated drone carrier. Originally designed to operate F-35B stealth jets, the ship was reconfigured after Türkiye’s removal from the Joint Strike Fighter program.

Today, Anadolu combines the role of an amphibious assault ship with a drone-optimized aviation wing. Equipped with a ski-jump deck and large hangar space for folding-wing drones like the TB3, it serves as the backbone of Türkiye’s naval power projection.

Strategic Impact

With this operational debut, Türkiye becomes the first nation to routinely deploy an armed, fixed-wing UCAV from a large-deck amphibious ship. While the U.S. Navy focuses on the MQ-25 Stingray tanker, the Royal Navy experiments with Mojave and rotary drones, and China prepares its Fujian carrier and Type 076 amphibious assault ship, Türkiye has achieved a first-mover advantage by fielding a fully armed, operational shipborne drone capability.

This not only strengthens Ankara’s ability to conduct maritime surveillance and strike missions but also signals a doctrinal shift in naval warfare, where drones are no longer experimental add-ons but permanent elements of task groups.

Key Highlights

• First operational armed drone flights from a large deck ship will begin in September 2025.

• The TB3 offers long endurance, high payload, and autonomous deck operations without catapults or arresting gear.

• TCG Anadolu stands as the world’s first drone carrier, optimized for unmanned aviation.

• Türkiye sets a global precedent, redefining naval aviation in the unmanned era.

In short, Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB3 aboard TCG Anadolu marks not just a technological breakthrough, but a strategic leap, positioning the Turkish Navy at the forefront of 21st-century unmanned naval warfare.