Akıncı and Bayraktar TB2 land on a highway in Manisa in first emergency drill

Turkish armed UAVs of the Akıncı and Bayraktar TB2 models carried out the first landing and takeoff on the Manisa-Balıkesir highway, as part of emergency scenarios involving the unusability of runways.

Baykar announced that the drill brought three platforms together at a single point: a Bayraktar TB2 took off from Keşan, an Akıncı from Çorlu, and a second Bayraktar TB2 belonging to the Land Forces Command took off from İzmir — and all of them landed successfully on the highway strip.

The operation was carried out in coordination between the Ministry of National Defense, the General Directorate of Highways and Baykar, with firefighting and ambulance teams stationed throughout the drill. Representatives of the commands of the Turkish Armed Forces branches, the General Security Directorate, the Gendarmerie Command and the Coast Guard Command oversaw the execution, alongside the Manisa Governorate and the regional gendarmerie and security directorates.

Baykar announced that the plan will expand to include all of its UAV platforms, including Kızılelma — Turkey's first unmanned combat aircraft built on a national concept — and the Bayraktar TB3, designed to land on and take off from short-runway ships.

On the export front, Baykar achieved an export volume of 2.2 billion dollars in 2025, renewing its record in the global UAV market for the third consecutive year, while exports account for about 90% of its revenues in recent years.