Bayraktar TB3, Albatros-S USV Complete Successful Drill

Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar’s new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB3 and defense company Aselsan’s Albatros-S Kamikaze unmanned surface vehicle (USV) successfully carried out a joint operation, highlighting the capabilities of combined operations, the firms announced on Thursday.

"The Bayraktar TB3, launched from TCG Anadolu, enabled the long-range command and control of the Aselsan Albatros-S Kamikaze USV," Aselsan said, The Caspian Post reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

The firm said that with the Bayraktar TB3 significantly extending its command-and-control envelope, Aselsan Albatros-S Kamikaze USVs are now poised to become game-changers in naval operations.

"This major advancement was also observed on-site by high-level foreign delegations from across the world," it added.

Military delegations from Italy, the UK, Spain, Japan, and Brazil also attended the screening, which featured important moments.

Baykar, which has carried out all its projects with its own resources since its inception, has generated 83% of its revenue from exports since the start of its UAV R&D process in 2003. The firm achieved $1.8 billion in exports in 2023, ranking among the top 10 companies in Türkiye with the highest exports across all sectors.

The firm, the largest company in the global unmanned aerial vehicle export market, continued its global success in 2024, generating $1.8 billion in exports, with 90% of its revenue coming from exports.

Baykar ranked among the top 10 exporters across all sectors in Türkiye in 2023 and 2024 and received the Export Champions Award and also became the export leader of the defense and aerospace sector in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, according to data from the Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

The firm accounted for one-third of the sector's exports in 2023 and one-fourth of the defense and aerospace sector's total exports in 2024, making Türkiye the leader in the global UAV export market.

Baykar has signed export agreements with 37 countries, including 36 for the Bayraktar TB2 and 16 for the Bayraktar Akinci UAVs.