The Ministry of Defence confirmed the Bayraktar TB3 armed naval UAV has been inducted into the Land Forces Command, marking its first official deployment.
The Turkish Ministry of Defence (Turkish MoD) has announced that the Bayraktar TB3 armed naval UAV has officially joined the inventory of the Land Forces Command. The announcement was made by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, Press and Public Relations Adviser of the ministry, during the weekly briefing.
Aktürk highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen the effectiveness and deterrence of the Turkish Armed Forces with domestically developed systems: “With the weapons and systems produced by our national defence industry, we continue to enhance the effectiveness and deterrence of our Armed Forces. In this context, the inspection and acceptance activities of multiple Bayraktar TB3s have been completed and they have been inducted into the Land Forces Command.”
The statement created surprise within defence circles, as the first deliveries of the TB3 had been widely expected to go to the Navy for deployment aboard the TCG Anadolu. Instead, the Land Forces became the first service to field the advanced platform.
The TB3 is built as the naval version of TB2 with folding wings to enable carrier-based operations.
