Turkish Combat Drone Kizilelma Successfully Conducts Radar and Missile Tests

JAKARTA - Turkey's first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar Kizilelma, completed another historic test, hitting a direct target in a simulated firing exercise conducted with the national air-to-air missile Gökdoğan and locking an F-16 target in a test conducted last month, according to Baykar.

In its statement, Baykar said that Bayraktar Kizilelma, which was developed independently and with the company's own resources, has successfully passed another important milestone that will prove its effectiveness on the battlefield.

After taking off from the Akıncı Training and Test Flight Center in Çorlu, Tekirdağ, the Turkish-made unmanned combat aircraft oti flew for one hour and 45 minutes at an average altitude of 15,000 feet, conducting close encounters with F-16s and verifying the integration of national radars and ammunition.

This flight brings the total flight time of the Bayraktar Kizilelma during testing to more than 55 hours, the company said, as reported by Anadolu (10/12).

Two Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets participated in the Bayraktar Kizilelma-Gökdoğan armed flight and the Murad AESA Radar performance test, he added.

One of the F-16s conducted a formation flight close to Kizilelma, demonstrating the platform's compatibility with manned fighters, while the other F-16 acted as a "target plane" in the test scenario.

"In the scope of the test, Kızılelma detected the F-16 target at a distance of 48 kilometers (30 miles) using the Murad AESA Radar developed by Aselsan and locked on to the target," Baykar said.

Then, the aircraft conducted an electronic firing simulation using the Gökdoğan Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), which was also developed domestically by the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBITAK).

"In the simulation, Bayraktar Kizilelma managed to neutralize the very agile F-16 target with a virtual direct attack, marking a significant step forward for air-to-air combat capabilities," the company said.

One of the most critical phases of the test involves evaluating the communication infrastructure between the aircraft, radar, and missile.

After locking on to the F-16 target, Kizilelma seamlessly sent target, position, and velocity data obtained from the MURAD AESA Radar to the Gökdoğan missile carried under its wing.

The successful validation of the data link between the aircraft and the munition is an important milestone in its ability to neutralize targets beyond visual range (BVR).

English:

During the historic flight over the skies of Tekirdağ, in northwestern Turkey, three different and challenging test scenarios were executed simultaneously with success, according to the company.

They said the scenario, explaining: "the flight of the F-16 formation - which demonstrates the ability for joint operations with manned fighters - provides insight into the concept of future air combat. The aerodynamic and avionics compatibility of the platform is verified through the Gökdoğan Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile carried under the wing. During the same flight, the detection, tracking, locking, and data transfer capabilities of the national Murad AESA Radar - which was activated for testing - were also proven in demanding conditions."

Kizilelma first took to the air in 2022 and has conducted a series of test flights since then.