Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB3 Proves Cold-Weather Carrier Operations in NATO Baltic Exercise.

During NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise over the Baltic Sea, Turkey’s Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle conducted autonomous flight operations from TCG ANADOLU in subzero, heavy snow conditions. The demonstration highlighted Turkey’s growing maritime drone capability and underscored the role of carrier-capable UAVs in NATO’s cold weather operational planning.

During NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise in early February over the Baltic Sea, Turkish officials announced that the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle successfully conducted autonomous takeoffs and landings from the amphibious assault ship TCG ANADOLU in temperatures near minus 5 degrees Celsius, amid heavy snowfall and strong winds. According to statements relayed during the exercise, the TB3 was the only aircraft able to sustain flight operations under those winter conditions, while other participating platforms remained grounded. The flight activity underscored the TB3’s short takeoff and landing capability, its integration with a naval aviation platform, and its demonstrated resilience in cold weather within a NATO operational framework.
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Bayraktar TB3 flies from TCG ANADOLU in Baltic winter during NATO Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise. (Picture source: Baykar)

The Bayraktar TB3 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle represents the first Turkish UCAV specifically designed for routine deck operations from short-runway vessels. Developed by Baykar as a navalized evolution of earlier platforms, it features a 14-meter wingspan and an overall length of 8.35 meters. Company data indicate an endurance exceeding 21 hours, a payload capacity of 280 kilograms, and a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 1,600 kilograms. Folding wings reduce deck footprint and facilitate hangar storage aboard TCG ANADOLU, while reinforced landing gear supports repeated cyclic operations on a ski jump deck exposed to wind shear and sea spray.

Unlike conventional carrier aircraft requiring catapult assistance or arrestor gear, the TB3 is engineered to conduct short takeoffs and recoveries using autonomous flight control systems. Precision navigation relies on satellite positioning combined with shipboard data inputs, allowing automated deck alignment even under reduced visibility. Operations in sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall, therefore, test not only propulsion margins but also avionics sealing, sensor stabilization, and data link robustness. While detailed cold-weather adaptations have not been publicly disclosed, sustained sorties in these conditions suggest adequate tolerance to icing risk and crosswind corrections during approach.

The TB3 integrates six hardpoints capable of carrying laser-guided munitions from the MAM family produced by Roketsan. The MAM-L, weighing roughly 22 kilograms, offers an engagement envelope of up to 15 kilometers depending on release altitude and flight profile, combining a semi-active laser seeker with a multipurpose warhead suitable against armored vehicles and light maritime targets. The heavier MAM-T, at approximately 95 kilograms, extends operational reach beyond 30 kilometers when launched from UAVs at altitude and delivers greater terminal effects through a larger warhead and proximity fuzing. These profiles align with the dual-salvo MAM-L shot attributed to TB3 prototype PT-1R and the follow-on MAM-T strike by TB3 PT-4 reported during the drill, illustrating a layered engagement sequence from the same deck-based ecosystem.

The combination of TCG ANADOLU and TB3 alters the geometry of regional maritime security. Carrier-based UCAVs can extend surveillance and strike envelopes hundreds of nautical miles from a task group, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance coverage while retaining the option to prosecute targets directly. Pairing deck-launched TB3 sorties for near- to mid-range missions with Akinci’s higher-altitude standoff profile creates overlapping effects chains that complicate adversary air-defense planning. Earlier iterations of Denizkurdu 2025 validated deck takeoffs and live weapon releases, and the massed participation across three seas during recent drills indicates that the Turkish Navy is institutionalizing tactics, techniques, and procedures for integrated manned and unmanned aviation within distributed maritime operations.

The Baltic demonstration therefore carries weight beyond the exercise itself. As northern European theaters confront harsher weather cycles and renewed military competition, weather-resilient unmanned aviation deployed from amphibious platforms offers NATO an additional layer of flexibility. For Türkiye, fielding a domestically developed carrier-capable UCAV alongside a high-altitude strike platform signals industrial maturity and strategic intent. Within the alliance, the emergence of deck-based uncrewed aviation in cold maritime environments underscores a broader transition toward distributed, networked, and layered deterrence architectures that reshape how sea control and power projection may be exercised in contested waters.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a Master’s graduate in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.