Turkish defense manufacturer Baykar, in coordination with the Turkish Naval Forces (Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri), has successfully executed a live sonobuoy deployment and real-time acoustic telemetry processing trial utilizing the Bayraktar TB3 Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Naval Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).
Conducted from the flight deck of the flagship LHD/aircraft carrier TCG Anadolu (L-400), the operational milestone integrated the indigenous Baykar SAS POD (Sonobuoy Dispenser System) and onboard acoustic processing hardware. The exercise demonstrated both autonomous short-takeoff deployment of sonobuoys and real-time telemetry processing from both its own deployed sensors and external maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs). This capability establishes the Bayraktar TB3 as only the second known uncrewed aircraft globally—following the U.S.-built General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian—to demonstrate carrier-compatible, live sonobuoy deployment and integrated acoustic target processing.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: BAYRAKTAR TB3 NAVAL ASW ARCHITECTURE
Platform Engineering & Carrier-Adaptation Baseline
⚡ Developer & OEM: Baykar Technologies (Istanbul, Türkiye)
⚡ Host Vessel: TCG Anadolu (L-400) Amphibious Assault Ship / Light Aircraft Carrier
⚡ Platform Classification: Carrier-Capable Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Naval UCAV
⚡ Airframe Dimensions: Length: 8.35 meters | Wingspan: 14.0 meters (Featuring electro-hydraulic folding wing mechanism for hangar storage) | Height: 2.6 meters
⚡ Weight & Payload Envelopes: Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW): ~1,600 kg | Useful Payload Capacity: 280 kg
⚡ Propulsion Plant: 1× TEI-PD200 turbodiesel engine producing 197 hp (optimized for maritime operations and high-torque carrier takeoffs)
⚡ Flight Performance Metrics: Operational Endurance: >24 Hours | Operational Ceiling: 20,000 ft | Maximum Airspeed: 130 KTAS (241 km/h) | Communication Infrastructure: Line-of-Sight (LOS) + Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) SATCOM 
ASW Payload, Sonobuoy Dispenser & Acoustic Sensor Integration
💥 Sonobuoy Launch Pod: Baykar SAS POD (Underwing Sonobuoy Dispenser Assembly) capable of carrying and pneumatically dispensing NATO-standard A-size / G-size sonobuoys
💥 Sensor Suite Payload: Dual integration options featuring passive directional (DIFAR) and active directional (DICASS) acoustic sonobuoys designed for subsurface tracking
💥 Onboard Acoustic Data Processing Unit: Integrated real-time acoustic telemetry processor capable of decoding sonar signals, performing target classification, and transmitting underwater track files
💥 Optical Verification Payload: Integrated ASELFLIR-500 High-Performance Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) targeting and surveillance system for surface contact cross-cueing
Networked Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Data Link & Tactical C2
🚀 Multi-Asset Telemetry Fusion: Onboard receiver decodes acoustic signal feeds from both TB3-deployed sonobuoys and sonobuoys dropped by conventional Turkish Navy MPAs (e.g., ATR-72 600 TMPA)
🚀 Real-Time Tactical Relay: Relays processed subsurface acoustic telemetry over BLOS SATCOM data links directly to TCG Anadolu’s Combat Information Center (CIC) and shore command
🚀 Tactical Integration: Operates as a persistence node within the Turkish Navy’s broader underwater defense network, reducing search-to-kill chain latency against conventional and AIP diesel-electric submarines
TIMES OF DEFENCE ASSESSMENT
The successful deployment and telemetry processing of sonobuoys by the Bayraktar TB3 operating from TCG Anadolu represents a significant strategic evolution in naval drone warfare.
From an engineering and naval doctrine perspective, this achievement provides three primary operational advantages:
1. **Transforming Amphibious Assault Ships into Offshore ASW Hubs**: Traditionally, amphibious assault ships like TCG Anadolu rely on organic shipborne helicopters (e.g., SH-60B Seahawk) or land-based MPAs to maintain an anti-submarine screen. Helicopters are constrained by high operational costs, short endurance (typically 3–4 hours), and maintenance limits. Deploying long-endurance UCAVs capable of flying 24+ hours provides TCG Anadolu with a persistent, long-range acoustic search capability far beyond coastal radar horizons.
2. **Cost-Effective Acoustic Network Projection**: Modern diesel-electric and Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) submarines are exceptionally quiet and difficult to detect in shallow littoral waters. Laying wide-area sonobuoy fields using tactical UCAVs drastically reduces operational costs compared to flying heavy crewed aircraft, allowing naval commanders to maintain continuous acoustic barriers across maritime chokepoints.
3. **Pioneering MALE Carrier Aviation**: Following its historic short-runway shipboard takeoffs and landings, integrating specialized ASW sensors onto the TB3 elevates the platform from an ISR and surface-strike asset to a multi-domain anti-submarine platform, positioning Turkish naval aviation at the forefront of carrier-based uncrewed operations.
