Bayraktar KIZILELMA, one of the Turkish defense industry’s most ambitious projects, has added a significant set of capabilities to its inventory that will strengthen its dominance in the skies. Tests conducted at Baykar’s AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu demonstrated the project’s progress beyond a mere concept and toward becoming an operational force.
Targets Hit with Pinpoint Accuracy
The third prototype of Bayraktar KIZILELMA (PT-3), which took off as part of the testing activities, successfully executed two different mission scenarios. The first sortie fired the TOLUN, an ASELSAN-produced miniature bomb integrated onto the platform. Thanks to its advanced avionics and targeting systems, KIZILELMA flawlessly passed its initial test, delivering the munitions to the designated target with pinpoint accuracy.
In the day’s second flight, the TEBER-82 Wing-Assisted Guidance Kit, developed by ROKETSAN, was assigned the mission. In this sortie, the nationally-developed unmanned combat aircraft successfully identified its target and destroyed it with a pinpoint accuracy during a TEBER-82 missile launch, achieving a double victory. These successful tests demonstrated KIZILELMA’s capability to utilize various types of national smart munitions and its platform-munition compatibility.
The Bayraktar KIZILELMA project is being continuously developed based on experience gained from the initial prototypes. Structural and aerodynamic improvements made to the production prototype provide the aircraft with significantly superior maneuverability at higher speeds. Thanks to its newly integrated afterburner engine, KIZILELMA will approach the speed of sound. Its AESA radar, combined with its high situational awareness, will enable it to execute the most challenging and dangerous missions ahead of manned jets.
The project, launched in 2021 with 100% equity funding from Baykar, has achieved tangible success in record time. The first prototype rolled off the production line on November 14, 2022, and took to the skies less than a year later, completing its maiden flight on December 14, 2022, immediately following ground tests. While testing activities are ongoing, mass production is underway for the Bayraktar KIZILELMA, which is expected to enter the Turkish Armed Forces inventory in 2026.
The platform previously broke new ground in global aviation history with its formation flights at TEKNOFEST 2023 with the Bayraktar AKINCI TİHA (UAV), the F-16 SOLOTÜRK fighter jet, and the Turkish Stars, consisting of F-5 jets, providing important insights into future air combat concepts.
Baykar, the driving force behind this national success, not only develops technology but also makes a significant contribution to the Turkish economy. The company, which has carried out all its projects with its own resources since its inception, has generated 83% of its revenue from exports since 2003. Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports in 2023 and 2024, ranking among the top 10 exporters across all sectors in Turkey.
Baykar, the export leader in the defense and aerospace sector for four consecutive years, has propelled Turkey to a leading position in the global armed UAV market. The company, the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle company, has signed export agreements with 35 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 armed UAV and 15 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI UAV, bringing the national technology to every corner of the globe.
