Bayraktar KIZILELMA made a historic breakthrough in the world.

30.11.2025 11:11

Turkey's first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, became the world's first unmanned combat aircraft to hit a jet-powered aerial target using an beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile during a test conducted off the coast of Sinop.

The majority of unmanned combat aircraft projects around the world are primarily designed for air-to-ground missions. While no unmanned platform has yet achieved air-to-air combat capability, Bayraktar KIZILELMA has initiated a new era in aviation history as the first and only platform in the world to prove its air-to-air combat capability with this shot.

For the historic test, five F-16 fighter jets took off from Merzifon 5th Main Jet Base and met with Bayraktar KIZILELMA over the skies of Sinop. Performing a five-ship formation flight with the F-16s, Bayraktar KIZILELMA showcased the future air combat concept through manned-unmanned joint operations. During this time, a Bayraktar AKINCI UAV also accompanied the flight, capturing the historic moments from the air.

SPOTTED BY MURAD, STRUCK BY GÖKDOĞAN

As per the scenario, the high-speed jet-powered target aircraft was detected and tracked by the MURAD AESA radar developed by ASELSAN, which is mounted on Bayraktar KIZILELMA. After the target was precisely marked by the radar, KIZILELMA fired the GÖKDOĞAN Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE, which it carried under its wings. The launched national missile hit the jet-powered target aircraft with pinpoint accuracy.



With this test, the air-to-air attack capability of the national unmanned combat aircraft Bayraktar KIZILELMA was also confirmed. For the first time in Turkish aviation history, a national aircraft fired a national air-to-air missile, guided by a national radar, at an aerial target. Thus, all links of the air-to-air mission chain were executed entirely with national resources.

This test, which initiated a new era in Turkish aviation history, was monitored in real-time from the sky. Commander of the Air Force General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Commander of the Combat Air Force General Rafet Dalkıran, ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol, and Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar were present in the cockpits of the F-16 fighter jets taking off from Merzifon, overseeing the historic shot from the air. TÜBİTAK SAGE Institute Director Kemal Topalömer and ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İkinci were also part of the delegation following the test.

SEEING WITHOUT BEING SEEN, STRIKING WITHOUT BEING STRUCK

The historic shooting test demonstrated how the future air combat concepts will take shape. The game-changing impact of Bayraktar TB2 UAVs in air-to-ground missions will now be extended to air-to-air missions with Bayraktar KIZILELMA.

With a significantly lower radar cross-section (RCS) compared to existing fighter jets, Bayraktar KIZILELMA can detect enemy aircraft from a long distance without them noticing. Thanks to this new concept of "seeing without being seen, striking without being struck," Bayraktar KIZILELMA will be a platform that provides superiority in air combat.

Bayraktar KIZILELMA also stands out with its critical mission systems. The integration of advanced technology systems, such as the MURAD AESA Radar and the Low Observable Electro-Optical Targeting System TOYGUN, which are produced by ASELSAN, has been successfully achieved, making it one of the few countries capable of such production. The national unmanned combat aircraft has a wide range of ammunition types and can utilize all domestically produced munitions. Previously conducted tests with TOLUN and TEBER-82 munitions have shown that Bayraktar KIZILELMA can hit targets with pinpoint accuracy, and with the GÖKDOĞAN shot, it has also proven its capability in air-to-air missions alongside air-to-ground missions.

Baykar, which has carried out all its projects with its own resources since the beginning, has generated 83% of its total revenue from exports since the start of its UAV R&D process in 2003. In 2023, Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports, ranking among the top 10 companies with the highest exports in all sectors in Turkey. As the largest company in the global unmanned aerial vehicle export market, Baykar continued its global success in 2024, generating 90% of its revenue from exports and achieving $1.8 billion in exports.

Baykar, which has been awarded the Export Champions Award by entering the top 10 companies with the highest exports in all sectors in Turkey in 2023 and 2024, has been the export leader in the defense and aviation sector according to the data from the Presidency of Defense Industries and the Turkish Exporters Assembly in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2023, Baykar alone accounted for one-third of the sector's exports, and in 2024, it achieved one-quarter of the total defense and aviation sector exports, elevating Turkey to a leading position in the global UAV export market. As the world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle company, Baykar has signed export agreements with 36 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 UAV and with 16 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI UAV so far.