The Bayraktar TB3 unmanned air vehicle has demonstrated its ability to conduct naval strikes during a live fire NATO exercise in the Baltic.
The effort saw the TB3 take off from the TCG Anadolu aircraft carrier during the Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise in the Baltic Sea, according to Bayraktar.
After taking off from Anadolu, the UAV scored direct hits on surface targets with a pair of Roketsan MAM-L munitions. The TB3 subsequently recovered aboard Anadolu.
As a follow up, a pair of TB3s will take off from Anadolu, with one carrying the MAM-L weapon, while the other carries the larger MAM-T.
Anadolu was commissioned in April 2023 and is billed as aircraft carrier optimized for the operation of unmanned aircraft. This is partially due to Turkey’s departure from the Lockheed Martin F-35 programme: original plans had called for Anadolu to operate the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B variant.
In late January, Baykar said that it had achieved revenue of $2.5 billion in 2025, of which $2.2 billion came from the export of UAVs. Reports suggest that the company’s TB2 UAV has 36 customers internationally, while its larger AKINCI system has 16.
Indonesia also has plans to obtain 60 TB3s. In Indonesian service it is possible that the TB3 may operate from the former Italian aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi. Media reports indicate that the former Italian carrier could be transferred to Indonesia this year, giving the Southeast Asian nation its first flattop.
