Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB3 armed drone has made 355 landings and take-offs on the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu in about two years and carried out nine firings, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MSB) said on 9 November 2026. The ministry dated the TB3’s first landing and take-off on the ship to 19 November 2024.
The figures were published on the ministry’s official X account under the headline “Karada destan, denizde kudret, gökyüzünde istiklal” (“An epic on land, might at sea, independence in the sky”), together with footage of the drone. “Developed with domestic and national means, the Bayraktar TB-3 made its first landing and take-off on TCG Anadolu on 19 November 2024. In the roughly two years since, the TB-3, which has made 355 landings and take-offs on the ship, has carried out a total of nine firings,” the ministry said. Turkish news agency DHA (Demirören Haber Ajansı) carried the same figures.
What the ministry did and did not say
- Stated: first shipboard landing and take-off on 19 November 2024; 355 landings and take-offs in about two years; nine firings in total; the TB3 is based on TCG Anadolu.
- Not stated: the number of TB3s in naval service, the munitions used, where the nine firings took place, or whether any were against real targets rather than in tests and exercises.
Because 355 is a combined count, the statement does not give separate numbers of landings and take-offs.
Why it matters for the region
The TB3 is made by Baykar, the company behind the TB2 and Akıncı drones that several African and Middle Eastern armed forces now operate; see our Baykar company profile and our overview of Turkish systems in African service. The ministry’s figures give the sea-based TB3 its first published operating record. The ministry’s statement did not mention any export customer for the TB3, and DefenceMENA has not found an officially confirmed foreign order.
For navies in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf, the figures are a data point on whether drones can give a ship without catapults or arresting gear some of the reach usually associated with carrier aircraft. The MSB statement gives a public figure for how often the TB3 has flown from the ship.
Sources
- T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma), official X post, 9 November 2026 (primary).
- DHA: “MSB: Bayraktar TB-3, 2 yılda gemiye 355 iniş ve kalkış yaptı”, 9 November 2026.
Quotes translated from Turkish by DefenceMENA. Figures are as stated by the ministry; they have not been independently verified.