A screen-grab from a Baykar video released on 25 September showing the first flight of the production standard Kizilelma ‘loyal wingman' UCAV. (Baykar)
Türkiye has conducted the first flight of a production standard Baykar Kizilelma ‘loyal wingman' unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).
The manufacturer announced the milestone on 25 September, noting the first flight of production prototype PT-3 some 21 months after the first flight of the design and development prototype PT-1 in December 2022.
Türkiye first revealed its Kizilelma project in 2021, which at that time was known as the Bayraktar MIUS (Bayraktar Unmanned Combat Aircraft System). The Kizilelma (literally translated as ‘Red Apple', it has a deeper meaning in Turkish mythology of an ideal yet distant goal) has been characterised as an unmanned fighter aircraft featuring capabilities of a ‘fifth-generation' manned fighter.
The single-engine platform features stealth characteristics in its airframe design (including an internal weapons bay) and is reported to be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). With an expected maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 6,000 kg (of which 1,500 kg will be payload), the Kizilelma is to be used for different combat roles, such as close air support, suppression and destruction of enemy air defences, and air-to-air combat.
According to the manufacturer, the Kizilelma will have two iterations, with the latter capable of operating at supersonic speeds. The Kizilelma is also billed as being capable of operating from short-runway aircraft carriers, such as Türkiye's own TCG Anadolu landing helicopter dock (LHD).
For more information on Kizilelma, please see Turkey showcases Anadolu unmanned air wing .
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