Combat drone Kizilelma: Baykar UCAV engages F-16 beyond visual range in test

On 28 November, the Bayraktar Kizilelma combat drone reached a technological milestone – both for its own programme and for the history of air warfare. Off the coast of Sinop, the Turkish unmanned stealth combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by Baykar detected a jet-powered fighter aircraft beyond visual range (BVR) and hit it with an air-to-air missile. It was a world first.

The Kizilelma owes its name to the mythical Turkish ideal of the “Red Apple”. Using its Murad AESA radar, it detected and “locked on” to a Turkish F-16 at around 30 miles (about 48 kilometres). The aerial target was then neutralised in simulation – with a Gökdogan BVR missile developed by Tübitak Sage and fired from an external station.

Baykar sees the test as further proof of how far the Turkish aviation industry has advanced technologically. Thanks to its low radar cross-section, the UCAV is said to detect enemy aircraft considerably earlier than they can detect the Kizilelma. The guiding motto: “See without being seen, strike without being hit.”

Over Sinop, the Bayraktar Kizilelma was joined by five F-16 fighter jets that had taken off from the 5th Main Jet Base in Merzifon for the historic test. The Kizilelma first flew in formation with these aircraft – a demonstration of the future air combat concept of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).

The formation was also accompanied by a larger Bayraktar Akinci UCAV with two turboprop engines, which documented the historic demonstration from the air. This unmanned “chase plane” was also a first.

Combat drone as a possible “wingman” for GCAP?

In 2025, Leonardo and Baykar founded the LBA Systems joint venture. Its CEO Roberto Cingolani indicated that the Kizilelma is being considered as a possible CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) escort for the future GCAP stealth fighter of the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan.

At the Paris Air Show, Cingolani had already stated that, besides unmanned versions of the M-345 and M-346, Italy was also considering the Kizilelma as a GCAP wingman. The UCAV has many features of a modern stealth jet: an internal weapons bay, an afterburning engine, high agility and a low radar cross-section. Integration of the Karat 100 infrared targeting system is currently being prepared. Already on board are the Murad 100-A AESA radar and, with the Toygun 100, an electro-optical targeting system.

This makes the UCAV particularly suitable as a vanguard, sensor carrier, supporter or armed escort fighter in future combined operations. The Kizilelma had previously scored precise hits in air-to-ground tests with Tolun and Teber-82 munitions. Following the successful firing of the Gökdogan BVR missile, the system has now also demonstrated its air-to-air capability – a decisive step towards a fully fledged unmanned multirole fighter.

What remains open is how far the crew of the target F-16 was allowed to evade detection or the simulated kill. This question arises precisely because of the prominent escort formation and the clearly demonstrative character of the test.

Prominent observers in the cockpits

Several observers followed the premiere live from the air. In the cockpits of F-16 fighter jets sat the Commander of the Turkish Air Force (THK), General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, the commander of the fighter forces, General Rafet Dalkıran, Aselsan General Manager Ahmet Akyol and Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar (son-in-law of President Erdoğan). They thus witnessed the historic test first-hand.

On the ground, a high-ranking delegation was present, including Kemal Topalömer as director of the Tübitak Sage institute and Murat İkinci as General Manager of Roketsan.

Baykar: world’s largest UAV manufacturer drives Turkish exports

According to data from the defence industry agency SSB and the Turkish Exporters Assembly TIM, Baykar has led Turkish exports of the entire defence and aerospace industry without interruption since 2021. In 2023 and 2024, the company received the cross-sector “Turkish Export Champions Award”.

In 2023, Baykar alone accounted for a third of all the sector’s exports; in 2024 it was a quarter of total Turkish defence and aerospace exports. This contributed significantly to Turkey’s position today as the world leader in exporting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

As the world’s largest UAV manufacturer, Baykar has signed export contracts with 37 states. The Bayraktar TB2 UCAV is in service in 36 of them, the Bayraktar Akinci UCAV in 16. Added to this is now the export of the TB3, Kizilelma and other systems – under the LBA Systems joint venture, in future also from Italy for customers in the EU or NATO.

According to the company, Baykar has carried out all its projects independently since its foundation. Since it began UAV research and development in 2003, 83 percent of its revenue has come from exports. In 2023 these totalled 1.55 billion euros – making Baykar one of Turkey’s ten largest exporters.

Its global success continued in 2024: Baykar generated 90 percent of its turnover from exports, and export volume again reached 1.55 billion euros.