Türkiye’s first unmanned fighter aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, marked a historic achievement in the skies by demonstrating its advanced air-to-air combat capabilities. Developed entirely with Baykar’s own resources and designed as a fully indigenous platform, KIZILELMA successfully executed a simulated missile engagement using the national GÖKDOĞAN air-to-air missile, achieving a virtual direct hit on a designated F-16 target. This milestone represents a significant step for Türkiye as it advances unmanned combat aircraft into the domain of beyond-visual-range air combat.

Taking off from the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Tekirdağ Çorlu, KIZILELMA completed a 1-hour-45-minute sortie at an average altitude of 15,000 feet. During this flight, it conducted formation operations with F-16 fighter jets while also validating the integration of national radar and missile systems. With this mission, the total accumulated flight time in the KIZILELMA test program surpassed 55 hours, further proving the platform’s increasing maturity.

The Bayraktar KIZILELMA – GÖKDOĞAN Captive Carry and MURAD AESA Radar Performance Test included two F-16s from the Turkish Air Force. One F-16 flew in close formation with KIZILELMA to demonstrate seamless manned–unmanned teaming, while the second F-16 served as the “target aircraft” for the simulated engagement. This test scenario provided valuable insights into future concepts of air warfare involving joint missions between manned and unmanned aircraft.

One of the most critical phases of the test involved target detection and engagement. Using ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar, KIZILELMA detected the F-16 target at a distance of 30 nautical miles and achieved radar lock-on. It then performed a simulated electronic launch using the TÜBİTAK SAGE-developed GÖKDOĞAN Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) Air-to-Air Missile. The high-maneuverability F-16 target was virtually neutralized with full accuracy, demonstrating KIZILELMA’s ability to conduct BVR engagements.

During this process, the communication and data-transfer infrastructure connecting the aircraft, radar, and missile was rigorously tested. After locking onto the target, KIZILELMA continuously transmitted real-time target, position, and velocity data from the MURAD AESA radar to the GÖKDOĞAN missile via a secure data link. The successful validation of this data link is considered a crucial milestone, proving KIZILELMA’s capability to engage beyond-visual-range threats. The mission also simultaneously verified manned–unmanned formation flight, GÖKDOĞAN captive-carry compatibility, and the performance of the MURAD AESA radar under demanding conditions.