Baykar struck a deal with Indonesia to provide 60 Bayraktar TB3 and nine Akinci UCAVs, in addition to a joint venture with Republikorp to build a drone factory in Indonesia.
Turkish manufacturer Baykar has signed a deal with Indonesia for the procurement of drones and the creation of a drone factory. The news emerges as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is visiting Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, together with a delegation of ministers, industry and government officials.
Specifically, Baykar agreed to establish a joint venture with the Indonesian company Republikorp, which includes the procurement of 60 Bayraktar TB3 and nine Bayraktar Akinci UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) . Additionally, a facility will be created in Indonesia for the manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance of the UCAVs.
Baykar will provide to the joint venture its expertise in manufacturing, as well as technology transfer and training, while Republikorp will be tasked with the regulatory compliance, infrastructure development, local expert certification, and integration into Indonesia’s defense ecosystem. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
The choice of the TB3 instead of the TB2 is not casual, as the Indonesian Navy is planning to employ the drone aboard naval vessels. Turkish media report that the TB3 might be employed on a new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD)-type ship, although Indonesia has also been involved in talks with Italy about a possible acquisition of the Italian Navy’s retired ITS Garibaldi aircraft carrier.
Bayraktar TB3
The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV is an advanced version of the well-known TB2, and is often described as its naval adaptation, meant to operate from the TCG Anadolu drone/helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ship. The drone has been specifically described as a “short runway capable version” of the TB2, making it “capable of operating from short-runway ships like the TCG Anadolu.”
The Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE)-class TB3 made its first flight on October 27, 2023, successfully performing the High Altitude System Performance Test. The testing of the new aircraft is progressing swiftly, and the drone recently performed its first live fire test, releasing two MAM-T munitions on a land target.
The Bayraktar TB3 can perform Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions via the multimode ASELFLIR-500 Electro-Optical Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Targeting System. Also, the drone can be equipped with munitions for combat operations, with six hardpoints which can carry up to 280 kilograms of payload.
The UCAV is also equipped with beyond line-of-sight communication capabilities that allow long-range mission with an endurance of up to 24 hours, according to the manufacturer. However, in its longest duration flight recorded on Dec. 20, 2023, the UCAV remained airborne for 32 consecutive hours, covering a total distance of 5,700 kilometers.
Bayraktar Akinci
The Bayraktar Akinci is a High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UCAV is defined by Baykar as a strategic class platform. Equipped with two turboprop engines, the aircraft has a wingspan of 20 meters and a 6-ton maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), with 1,500 kg of payload.
“Bayraktar AKINCI is capable of conducting operations that are performed with fighter jets,” says Baykar, which envisions the drone to perform air-to-air combat missions with the integration of air-to-air missiles. The Akinci is equipped “with electronic support systems, dual satellite communication systems, air-to-air radar, collision avoidance radar and synthetic aperture radar,” says the manufacturer.
With the maiden flight in 2019, the Akinci has been in service with the Turkish armed forces since 2021. Turkish media report that the Akinci “has a great deal of deterrent power on the battlefield due to its high altitude, extended endurance, and variety of payload options,” and can also be employed in support of “humanitarian relief teams during search and rescue missions, earthquakes, and fires.”
TB3 naval operations
The Bayraktar TB3 took off and landed back on the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship during a test on Nov. 19, 2024. Bayraktar’s chief technology officer Selçuk Bayraktar said that the landing was carried out by the drone fully autonomously.
Before the successful test, the drone practiced operations from a land-based ski-jump for several months since May 2024. The amphibious assault ship is also an amphibious assault ship, helicopter carrier and dedicated UAV carrier, roles which would be possibly reprised by the new ship to be acquired by Indonesia.
While operating from the ship, the TB3 exploits both its STOL (Short Take-Off Landing) characteristics and a 12-degree inclined ramp, the so-called ski jump, to safely launch. As for the landing, the aircraft uses its own braking system to stop without the use of an arrestor hook.
