Turkey’s Baykar preparing shipborne fleet of combat drones By Tayfun Ozberk Friday, Aug 6 A sketch released by Turkish drone maker Baykar shows how the company's new TB-3 drone would be deployed from a landing helicopter dock. (Baykar image) MERSIN, Turkey – Turkish drone maker Baykar has released new details about its newest armed drone, designed to launch from ships packed with unmanned aircraft. “The Bayraktar TB-3, which is still in development, will be a larger and more capable model in the same family as the TB-2,” the company’s chief technology officer, Selcuk Bayraktar, said during an Aug. 4 online presentation sponsored by Gebze Technology University. “When we began this project, no fixed-wing UAV could take off from LHD-class, short-runway ships,” he explained, using shorthand for unmanned aerial vehicles and landing helicopter dock naval vessels. “We believe that the TB-3, which can stay in the air for an extended period and is equipped with ammunition, will fill a gap in this field,” Bayraktar said. The new TB-3 drones are slated to ride aboard Turkey’s future Landing Helicopter Dock Anadolu. Source Link