Turkish defence trailblazer: KIZILELMA UAV mass production kicks off

The Turkish defence company Baykar has officially commenced mass production of its KIZILELMA unmanned fighter jet.

SavunmaSanayiST.com announced a significant milestone on their social media platform X, Caliber.Az reports.

“KIZILELMA'nın seri üretimi başladı. 2026'da 10'dan fazla üretmeyi planlıyoruz.”

— Selçuk Bayraktar pic.twitter.com/4JV09aGbUK

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) October 2, 2024

Selcuk Bayraktar, the Chairman of Baykar, stated, “Mass production of KIZILELMA has started. We plan to produce over 10 units in 2026.” He highlighted that all components of the KIZILELMA UAV are manufactured domestically in Türkiye, with the exception of the jet engine, which is sourced from Ukraine.

Bayraktar noted, “We are also working on this topic. We will depend on foreign supplies for several years. Several types of engines will be developed for the KIZILELMA fighter in the next 5 to 6 years.”

The KIZILELMA represents a cutting-edge unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by Baykar Technologies. It boasts a single-engine, low-observable airframe with advanced stealth capabilities, achieving a cruising speed of Mach 0.6 and a maximum speed nearing Mach 0.9. Designed for operations at an altitude of 35,000 feet, it can carry a payload of 1.5 tons and has a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilograms.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, the KIZILELMA features satellite control, fully autonomous takeoff and landing, high maneuverability, and an AESA radar for enhanced situational awareness. Its internal weapons bays further amplify its stealth capabilities, allowing it to operate from short-runway aircraft carriers such as the Turkish Navy's TCG Anadolu. The development of the KIZILELMA began in 2013, with significant advancements made in recent years.

Baykar announced the initiation of prototype production in March 2022 and conducted the first engine integration test for the unmanned jet in September 2022. Subsequent tests included taxi and ground driving trials in November 2022, culminating in the maiden flight test at Corlu Airport in December 2022. During this initial flight, the drone successfully flew for 18 minutes before returning safely to the airport.

In January 2023, the KIZILELMA successfully completed its system identification test during its second flight, with plans announced for the development of a supersonic variant. The aircraft has already achieved significant milestones, completing eight flights, including successful high-speed manoeuvring tests with retracted landing gear.

In April 2023, the Bayraktar KIZILELMA and its counterpart, the Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle, executed a formation flight during their ninth and tenth flight tests.

The KIZILELMA is designed to fire Bozdogan and Gokdogan air-to-air missiles and can also launch SOM-J cruise missiles with a range exceeding 250 kilometres, as well as the Mini Akilli Mühimmat (MAM) family of guided bombs produced by Turkish defence contractor Roketsan, tailored for small-scale attack missions.

By Tamilla Hasanova