Bayraktar Kizilelma UAV during the trails (Courtesy: Sputnik India)
Bayraktar Kizilelma, Türkiye’s first uncrewed fighter jet, shot down a jet-powered aircraft with a beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile during trials, marking the first time an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has achieved such a feat.In a statement on Sunday, Turkish defence company Baykar, the developer of the UAV, said Kızılelma launched the locally developed GÖKDOĞAN air-to-air missile, successfully striking a high-speed jet target. “The missile was fired from under the UAV’s wing after the target was detected and tracked using ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar. This marked the first time in Turkish aviation history that a national aircraft fired a domestically produced air-to-air missile, guided by a national radar, at an aerial target,” the statement said, according to TRT World.It added that the engagement established Kizilelma as the “first and only” uncrewed platform worldwide with “verified air-to-air combat capability.”During the test, five F-16 fighter jets from the Merzifon air base conducted formation flights alongside Kizilelma in a joint crewed-uncrewed operation.The UAV’s low radar cross-section and advanced sensors allow it to detect enemy aircraft from long distances while remaining largely undetected. Kızılelma integrates technologies such as the MURAD AESA radar and the TOYGUN targeting system and can deploy a range of domestically produced munitions.In earlier tests, the UAV achieved direct hits using TOLUN and TEBER-82 munitions.
