04.12.2025 11:50
The unmanned combat aircraft developed by the Turkish defense industry has caught the attention of American fighter pilots. Well-known pilots "Gonky" Trevor Hartsock and "Mover" C.W. Lemoine, who are known for their comments on defense technologies on YouTube, could not hide their astonishment after watching the footage of Kızılelma.
Trevor Hartsock, who served as a combat pilot in the U.S. Navy, said after observing the capabilities of Kızılema: "So if this is completely autonomous, that's really amazing. I've never seen anything like this before. It scares me a little. As a combat pilot and someone who has fired BVR missiles, I tip my hat to this capability. It will be interesting to see if the U.S., Russia, and China follow the same path."
"A COMPLETE FORCE MULTIPLIER WHEN COMBINED WITH DOMESTIC MISSILES"
Former U.S. Air Force and Navy pilot C.W. Lemoine also pointed out the importance of equipping Kızılema with domestic air-to-air missiles: "The other part of the job is the domestic missile. We all know that the first air-to-air missile to run out in a war will be the air-to-air missile. So if you can produce these missiles and drones in series, that’s your force multiplier."
WHAT IS KIZILEMA?
Kızılema is the first unmanned combat aircraft developed by the Turkish defense industry, and unlike traditional UAVs: It is jet-powered, has a design that reduces radar visibility (low observability), is designed to engage in air-to-air combat, and has autonomous takeoff-landing and maneuvering capabilities.