Turkey’s first unmanned fighter aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, has ushered in a new era in global aviation with a historic test conducted off the coast of Sinop. Fully developed with Baykar’s own resources and national technologies, KIZILELMA successfully destroyed a jet-powered aerial target using a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, becoming the first and only unmanned combat aircraft in the world to demonstrate this capability in a real firing test. While most UCAV programs around the world are designed mainly for air-to-ground missions, none had yet achieved an operational air-to-air missile engagement before this breakthrough.

For the test, five F-16 fighter jets took off from Merzifon’s 5th Main Jet Base and joined KIZILELMA over Sinop, performing a coordinated formation flight that showcased the future concept of manned-unmanned teaming. A Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV also accompanied the mission, recording the historic moments from the sky. During the scenario, a high-speed jet-powered target drone was launched and detected by the ASELSAN-developed MURAD AESA radar onboard KIZILELMA. After the radar precisely marked the target, the aircraft fired the nationally developed TÜBİTAK SAGE GÖKDOĞAN BVR air-to-air missile, which scored a direct hit.

This test marked another first for Turkish aviation: for the first time ever, a national radar guided a national air-to-air missile launched from a national aircraft toward an aerial target. Thus, the entire chain of an air-to-air engagement—from detection to guidance to strike—was successfully executed entirely with indigenous technologies. Senior officials, including the Commander of the Turkish Air Force, General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, and Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar, observed the historic mission from the cockpits of F-16 jets.

KIZILELMA’s achievement offers significant insights into the future of air combat. With its low radar cross-section and advanced sensor suite, the platform can detect enemy aircraft from long distances before being detected itself, enabling a revolutionary “see without being seen, strike without being struck” combat concept. Integrated with cutting-edge systems such as ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar and the low-observable TOYGUN electro-optical targeting system, KIZILELMA also supports a wide arsenal of domestically produced munitions. Previous tests with TOLUN and TEBER-82 demonstrated its air-to-ground accuracy; the successful GÖKDOĞAN engagement now proves its readiness for air-to-air missions as well.

Baykar continues to operate all its programs with its own resources and remains a global leader in UAV exports. The company achieved 1.8 billion dollars in exports both in 2023 and 2024, ranking among Turkey’s top ten exporters across all industries. As the world’s largest UAV exporter, Baykar has signed agreements with 36 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 and with 16 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI, further strengthening Türkiye’s global influence in the defense aviation market.