UAVs enter the anti-submarine warfare arena
The Turkish UCAV Bayraktar TB3 has demonstrated a new capability during the large-scale Denizkurdu-I/2026 naval exercise. According to Baykar, TB3 was used not only against surface or land targets, but also in a submarine defense (ASW) role.
In the scenario, TB3 launched from the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu and flew to the designated anti-submarine area, operating in coordination with a maritime patrol aircraft. This setup is an important step towards a joint concept of operations between unmanned systems and classic patrol aviation.
Indigenous SAS POD and onboard sonobuoy processing
Under its wing, TB3 carried the domestically developed Sonobuoy Launch System – SAS POD and successfully completed two sonobuoy drop tests.
The UCAV did not only use data from the sonobuoys it deployed. It also received acoustic data from additional sonobuoys dropped by the maritime patrol aircraft in the same area. An integrated sonobuoy processing unit onboard TB3 processed this underwater data and provided real-time visualization in the exercise environment.
This approach opens the door to future concepts such as:
- low-risk, long-endurance submarine detection using UCAVs;
- integrating UAVs into the navy’s ASW sensor network;
- tighter sensor fusion between ships, patrol aircraft and unmanned platforms.
In parallel, Baykar reports that in 2025 it achieved around 2.2 billion USD in exports, with roughly 90% of its revenue coming from foreign sales. The company has signed export contracts with 39 countries for Bayraktar TB2 and AKINCI, and TB3’s emerging naval and ASW capabilities are likely to further strengthen this export portfolio.
Source: AA Bilim-Teknoloji
