인도네시아, TB3 60대, 아킨치 UCAV 9대 생산 계약 체결

[위종민]

인도네시아가 TB3 60대, 아킨치 UCAV 9대를 자국에서 생산하는 계약을 체결했네요. 

인도네시아 해군의 신형 LHD, 혹은 퇴역한 ITS 주세페 가리발디 항모를 구입해 탑재할 모양입니다. 

Baykar Signs Deal with Indonesia for TB3, Akinci Drones and Production Facility - The Aviationist

Baykar Signs Deal with Indonesia for TB3, Akinci Drones and Production Facility

Baykar Signs Deal with Indonesia for TB3, Akinci Drones and Production Facility

Published on: February 17, 2025 at 12:33 AM

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 Stefano D'Urso

A Bayraktar Akinci UCAV equipped with indigenous Tolun IIR guided munitions during a test flight in 2024. (Image credit: Baykar)

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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.

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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.Bayraktar TB3Bayraktar AkinciTB3 naval operations

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.

The Bayraktar TB3 taking off from Baykar’s Flight Training and Test Center in Keşan, Edirne province, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Image credit: Baykar)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.

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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.

The Akinci loaded with MAM smart munitions and TEBER-82 bombs before the test. (Image credit: Baykar)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.”

The TB3 after landing back on the TCG Anadolu. (Image credit: Baykar)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.

[백선호]

2020년 아르메니아-아제르바이잔, 2022-현재 러시아-우크라이나 전쟁을 거치며 TB2같은 저속 장기체공 무인기는 방공망이 약한 상대에게나 먹힌다는 것이 드러났죠.

[위종민]

동남아시아 지역, 터키가 북아프리카나 시리아 같은 곳에서 써먹기엔 유효할 것 같긴 합니다. 한국 환경에선 있으나 마나 할 물건인 듯 하고요.