Bayraktar TB3 UCAV successfully completed 2 sonobuoy deployment tests in an anti-submarine warfare mission after taking off from TCG Anadolu as part of the Denizkurdu-I/2026 Exercise. Using Baykar’s Sonobuoy Deployment System (SAS POD), TB3 operated in coordination with a maritime patrol aircraft.
During the exercise, held in the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean on 20-25 September 2026, TB3 processed data from sonobuoys it had deployed itself and those dropped by the maritime patrol aircraft. The UCAV displayed the underwater data collected in real time in the exercise environment.
Why it matters
This development brings into focus not only TCG Anadolu’s capacity to deploy aircraft, but also its use in connection with the collection and assessment of sensor data as part of anti-submarine warfare. TB3’s operation within the same mission as the maritime patrol aircraft shows that information from different platforms can be integrated into a single exercise flow. For this reason, the result is significant not only for those following the division of tasks between naval forces’ air and maritime assets, but also for those monitoring the role of unmanned systems in maritime operations. However, how the data-processing capability demonstrated in the exercise will be used under different maritime conditions, in broader missions and in an actual operational environment remains an open question.