19.01.2025 00:01
Turkey's first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, successfully completed a new flight test, marking a significant milestone in its development process.
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The development process of the Bayraktar KIZILELMA, which is being developed nationally and uniquely by Baykar and will serve as our country's first unmanned combat aircraft, continues in accordance with the planned test schedule.
SYSTEM DEFINITION TEST
The production prototype of the national unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA PT-3 with tail number TC-ÖZB3, successfully completed another flight test conducted at the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center located in Çorlu, Tekirdağ. The system definition activities carried out during the test were also successfully completed.
STRONGER, MORE AGILE
The development activities of Turkey's first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, are continuing at full speed. In this context, significant changes were made to the production prototype based on the experiences gained from the first prototypes. In addition to structural improvements, enhancements were made to the avionic architecture. A flight was conducted with the successfully integrated afterburning engine alternative. With its powerful new engine, Bayraktar KIZILELMA will approach the speed of sound and will be able to maneuver much better at high speeds thanks to aerodynamic improvements. With its AESA radar, it will be able to perform the most challenging missions due to its high situational awareness.
FLYING IN RECORD TIME
The Bayraktar KIZILELMA project, which Baykar started with 100% equity, began in 2021. The Bayraktar KIZILELMA with tail number TC-ÖZB, which rolled off the production line on November 14, 2022, was transferred to the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu. After successfully completing ground tests rapidly, it made its first flight on December 14, 2022. Bayraktar KIZILELMA met the sky in a record time of one year.
MAKING HISTORY IN AVIATION
During TEKNOFEST 2023, Bayraktar KIZILELMA made flights that were firsts in the history of world aviation. Performing formation flights with the Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA, Bayraktar KIZILELMA conducted a fleet flight with the Turkish Stars, consisting of F-16 fighter jets SOLOTÜRK and F-5 jet aircraft, over Istanbul on May 1, 2023. These flight concepts, which are a turning point in the history of world aviation, will also shape the future of air combat.
CAPABILITY TO TAKE OFF AND LAND ON SHORT RUNWAYS
Bayraktar KIZILELMA will be a platform that will revolutionize the battlefield, especially with its capability to take off and land on short-runway ships. Developed to have the capability to take off and land on short-runway ships like the TCG Anadolu, which Turkey is building and currently conducting sea trials, Bayraktar KIZILELMA will play a significant role in overseas missions thanks to this capability. With this ability, it will take on a strategic role in the protection of the Blue Homeland.
EXPORT CHAMPION
Baykar, which has been carrying out all its projects with its own resources since the beginning, has obtained 83% of its total revenue from exports since the start of the UAV R&D process in 2003. In 2023, Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports and ranked among the top 10 companies with the highest exports in all sectors in our country. As the largest company in the global unmanned aerial vehicle export market, Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports in 2024, obtaining 90% of its revenue from exports. Baykar, which received the Champions Award, was the export leader in the defense and aviation sector according to the data from the Defense Industry Agency and the Turkish Exporters Assembly in 2021, 2022, and 2023. While Baykar derives more than 90% of its revenue from exports, it alone accounted for one-third of the total exports of the defense and aviation sector in 2023. Currently, 97.5% of the contracts signed by Baykar, the world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle company, are export-related. Export agreements have been signed with a total of 35 countries, including 34 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 SİHA and 10 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA.
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