Baykar Technologies conducted flight tests of its Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) armed with precision-guided bombs, advancing Türkiye’s indigenous aviation capabilities. On October 6, 2025, the prototype flew with two ASELSAN TOLUN precision-guided bombs mounted on external SADAK-4T pylons, transitioning from aerodynamic trials to weapons integration.
The KIZILELMA, developed under the MIUS program, features a 1.5-ton payload capacity, 8.5-ton maximum takeoff weight, 0.6 Mach cruise speed, and 0.9 Mach maximum speed. It operates at 25,000 feet with a 500 nautical mile combat radius and over three hours endurance. Equipped with ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar, TOYGUN electro-optical targeting system, and low radar cross-section design, the jet-powered UCAV supports autonomous takeoff, landing, and taxiing.
Previous tests included a second captive-carry flight with Roketsan’s TEBER-82 500-pound precision-guided bomb and direct hits using TOLUN and TEBER-82 munitions. In air-to-air trials off Sinop, it detected a jet-powered target with MURAD radar and struck it accurately with TÜBİTAK SAGE’s GÖKDOĞAN beyond-visual-range missile, marking the first such unmanned success.
Initial prototypes use an Ivchenko-Progress AI-25TLT turbofan engine, with upgrades planned to AI-322F or TEI-TF6000 for supersonic speeds up to Mach 1.4 in KIZILELMA-C variants. The platform integrates air-to-air missiles, INS/GPS-guided munitions, and standoff weapons, enabling air-to-ground, air-to-air, and carrier operations from ships like TCG Anadolu.