MERSIN, Turkey — Turkish drone maker Baykar Tech conducted the first flight test of its next-generation unmanned fighter jet, known as Bayraktar Kizilelma, on Dec. 14.
The drone is expected to be the backbone of the air force of future Turkish Navy flagship LHD Anadolu.
Selcuk Bayraktar, Baykar’s chief technology officer, announced the first flight with a video on Twitter. The test took place at Corlu Airport, some 80-85 kilometers (50 miles) west of Istanbul. The drone flew for 18 minutes and landed at the same airport.
“Today is the maiden flight of Bayraktar #KIZILELMA, our unmanned fighter jet,” said Bayraktar, the technology manager, in the presentation video he released. “Our country has entered the domain of unmanned combat aircraft, ushering in the future of air warfare.”
The first flight was originally planned for 2023.
Baykar unveiled the unmanned fighter jet project (originally called MIUS) in the summer of 2021, and the Kizilelma was sighted on the assembly line in March 2022.
In September 2022, the company conducted the first engine integration test for the unmanned jet. As part of his ground tests, Kizilelma conducted a slow speed “taxi test” and a roll test at takeoff.
On December 3, the future unmanned combat aircraft conducted a jump test, during which it did not actually fly, but the aircraft’s landing gear lifted off the runway for a few seconds. The jet went from prototype to maiden flight in ten months.
Kizilelma is a private project that Baykar has been working on with its resources for over a decade. According to the company, it will have a maximum takeoff weight of 6 tons, including 1.5 tons of ordnance, and fly at an altitude of 35,000 to 40,000 feet. The first prototype will fly at speeds of 0.6 to 0.9 mph.
Kizielma can remain airborne for up to 4 to 5 hours and is controlled by satellite via the SATCOM antenna, Baykar said. It is powered by AI-322F turbofan engines from the Ukrainian company Ivchenko-Progress.
The jet will be equipped with Aselsan-built AESA radar and will be capable of launching native Bozdogan and Gokdogan air-to-air missiles. For surface warfare, the future unmanned aircraft will be armed with SOM-J cruise missiles with a range of more than 250 km and Roketsan-made MAM family guided bombs for small attack missions.
According to the company, Kizilelma will be able to take off and land on aircraft carriers with short runways and conduct missions with internally transported ammunition.
Tayfun Ozberk is the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.