TR UAV/UCAV Programs | Anka - series | Kızılelma | TB - series

[YeşilVatan]

I'll toss a rock down the well:

Is it possible/practical to equip TB-3 as a relay drone to control other assets further away? Can it be done with a pod or something?

 

[Fairon]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1858940275139207480

 

[Yasar_TR]

Congratulations to Baykar!
I always thought the take off should be no problem. And with a slightly more powerful engine like PD220, heavier payloads will be possible.

It was the landing I was worried about. If you watch the landing, the flightpath is very close to the edge of the big rear lift. It did touch down by a good clearance however. Also the plane stopping with 50-60metres to spare, means it can be a little more relaxed with the touch down distance from the rear of the ship and it would give better landing distance tolerance in heavier seas.

This s a big threshold for our marine airforce. We need to contemplate about the TCG-Trakya now!
This UCAV will be a game changer for our naval forces. For one thing it will add tons of power to the self defence of TCG-Anadolu. It will help project fire power further afield.

EDIT
TCG-Trakya can be the KE launcher as KE will need arrester cables to stop. And the deck needs to be suitable accordingly as per Mr Selcuk Bayraktar’s statements.

 

[boredaf]

1W A-size passive directional sonobuoys packing under 10kg while NATO standard G-size is under 6kg., but I think the sonobuoys dispenser pod for UAVs and the sonobuoy monitoring and control system (SMCS) are the main weights here. The weight of the SDS pod using in the MQ9B is around 130 kg. A system consisting of 8-10 sonobuoys may barely fit. When we talk about detecting subs, a MAD system may also be included. The AN/ASQ-508 Advanced Integrated Magnetic Anomaly Detection System (AIMS) package weight is 27kg in official sources. In the more compact 30W MAD-XR developed for helis, they reduced the weight to under 2kg. But, If we say that CATS is 55kg and a SAR/ISAR optimized for TB-3 is 30kg on average, AIS, conformal antennas etc, unfortunately I couldn't figure it out how to take off.

I guess distributed systems are the best for this class. An ASW+ISTAR teaming system consisting of 3-4 UCAVs can be designed. But in that case, it would be quite challenging to work in different sectors simultaneously.

I don't know about the specifics as you do mate, but if everything necessary can't be carried on one drone, than multiple drones (let's say, for example, 3 as "seeders" for buoys and one to patrol the area and monitor them) would be the way to go like you suggested and it would be worth it imo. It is going to have more than twice the range of a helicopter, it would be a mistake to not take advantage of that.

 

[TheInsider]

The naval variant of TB3 has an MTOW of 1450kg, and the land-based variant has an MTOW of 1600kg. Both can carry 280kg of payload. TB3 took off and landed just as I expected smoothly without any problems. IMO, the landing was an overkill it didn't use more than half of the runway and this was an autonomous landing. KE will also take off without any problems but it needs an arresting cable for landing.

 

[hugh]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1858970142740210065

 

[hugh]

The War-Zone article

TB3 Operates From Turkey’s ‘Drone Carrier’ Amphibious Assault Ship For The First Time

TB3 testing aboard TCG Anadolu puts Turkey one step closer to fielding a first-of-its-kind operational fixed-wing naval drone capability.

www.twz.com

 

[Oublious]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1858970466050076999

 

[TheInsider]

By the way the last approach speed of TB3 is 60 knots and relative speed to TCG Anadolu (18knots) is 42knots. This landing is thanks to the aerodynamic design of TB3 it has a very low stall speed. It doesn't need arresting cables but i think some sort of safety precaution should be included maybe safety net?

 

[2033]

Baykar has done a great job as always. We are lucky to have such an asset. When we think about the future of Kizilelma and space projects, we feel hopeful for our country.

 

[dBSPL]

For KE, the proper ship is only the beginning of the story. A never-ending field of development has been opened, where even a pause for a while will cost the entire competitive edge. Not only Baykar but all domestic players in this game are part of the same team. Maybe it doesn't have much appeal because it doesn't depict a weapon, but we could talk for days about the strategic importance of the following illustration if it becomes a reality. In other words, a system from TAI will have a multiplier effect on a system from Baykar, and vice versa.

 

[dBSPL]

Footage from the 58th test flight has been uploaded on youtube. Cem Karaca in the back was one of the best choices to celebrate this historic achievement.

(Aircrafts and tests aside, TCG Anadolu is poetically beautiful )

 

[begturan]

Footage from the 58th test flight has been uploaded on youtube. Cem Karaca in the back was one of the best choices to celebrate this historic achievement.

(Aircrafts and tests aside, TCG Anadolu is poetically beautiful )

What a great pride for these young people and their families, they have accomplished a great thing at this age, we are proud of the Turkish youth... Türkiye will continue to rise on the shoulders of these young people.

 

[begturan]

comparison TB3 vs Mojave

 

[begturan]

The Mojave appears to take off at a shorter distance, but both aircraft land at the same distance.

The other thing I noticed is that the Mojave seems to be having stability issues, possibly due to weather conditions.

 

[Anmdt]

Wonder if we'll see those ropes and pulleys like they first shown in the future. Sending and landing a single aircraft means nothing in carrier operations. I'm very interested in how will sortie generation work with both TB3 and more importantly helicopters. Correct me but if i remember only one spot(starboard, in front of the phalanx) is available for helicopters during drone operations.

I think the idea was dropped a long time ago, and it was a wild idea in the early days.

Video footage of the TB3 has also shown how 'thrilling' it is to land without an angled flight deck, although it looks wide compared to the TB3, the landing area is quite narrow during the approach and leaves little room for wobbling. And considering this, I am not worried about the sortie frequency. 3-4 TB3s in the air at the same time and twice that number in the hangar for non-stop surveillance and monitoring is more than enough for Anadolu at the moment. I see TB3 as a complementary asset to the amphibious assault battalion (air wing and amphibious assets).

I think the sortie frequency and other concerns (deck planning) will be solved with Trakya, possibly an angled deck and re-arranged elevators will allow a higher sortie frequency, recovery of the UAV and deck prepping.

We need to work on modular pods asap, the Navy cannot be made to choose between customised TB3s before launching the UAV, and should be able to switch between ESM / Intelligence pod, an IRST or SAR pod just as installing the missiles.

And possibly a solid navalization, a maintanance package and rigs in the hangar to extend the life of the UAV etc. Baykar will need to miniaturise the overhaul/maintenance tools and packages and prepare a rig to fit into the hangar.