NATO Ally Announces Major Combat Drone Milestone

By Amira El-Fekki‎

Middle East News Reporter

ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

Turkey’s unmanned fighter, Bayraktar Kizilelma, became the first drone in the world to strike a jet from long range, in a successful test over the Black Sea this week.

"For the first time in the world, an unmanned combat aircraft fired an air-to-air missile with radar guidance and hit an aerial target with perfect accuracy," Turkish leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Baykar said.

Why It Matters

The breakthrough in unmanned air combat shows increasing reliance on drones systems to support manned combat aircraft and NATO member Turkey has proven its capabilities in drones, notably with the Bayraktar TB-2 used by the Ukrainian army in the war with Russia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pursued an indigenous defense program which is becoming increasingly ambitious, positioning the country as a rising power in advanced military technology.

...

What To Know

Bayraktar Kizilelma, Turkey's first-ever unmanned fighter jet, destroyed a jet-engine-powered aerial target using a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, according to the company. The combat drone fired the domestically produced Gokdogan air-to-air missile and was fully guided by a Turkish radar.

Kizilelma combines an advanced Electro‑Optical Targeting System with infrared, laser, and multi‑mode radar for long-range target detection. The aircraft can fly for up to three hours and carry up to 1,500 kilograms of equipment, including laser‑guided munitions, missiles, and long‑range cruise missiles.

Designed with a low radar cross-section and advanced sensors, it can detect enemy aircraft at long range before being seen. The next-generation UAV fighter, powered by a turbofan engine, completed its first flight test in 2022.

Turkey is rapidly advancing its strategy to move away from dependence on foreign military hardware, developing its next-generation Kaan fighter jet and the Mugem aircraft carrier program.

In October, Turkey signed a deal to purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets aimed at replacing its aging F-16. The United States removed Turkey from the F-35 development program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system in 2019.

What People Are Saying

Baykar Technologies stated in a press release: "The historic live-fire test also demonstrated how the air combat concepts of the future will take shape. The game-changing impact that Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs created in air-to-ground missions will now be carried into air-to-air missions with Bayraktar KIZILELMA."

Commander of the Turkish Air Force General Ziya Cemal KadiogluI said Sunday: "believe we are witnessing a historic day—one that opens the doors to a new era whose significance will be appreciated even more clearly when we look back in the years to come."

What Happens Next

Baykar says Kizilelma has entered mass production, with the sixth prototype already on the production line and delivery to the Turkish Armed Forces planned for 2026.

Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines