Historic success from KIZILELMA: Direct hit on F-16 in simulated strike

Developed nationally and uniquely by Baykar using entirely its own resources, Bayraktar KIZILELMA has successfully passed yet another critical milestone that will demonstrate its effectiveness on the battlefield. The national unmanned fighter aircraft, which took off from the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu, Tekirdağ, performed formation flying with F-16s during its 1 hour and 45-minute flight at an average altitude of 15,000 feet, and also verified the integration of the national radar and munitions. Two F-16 fighter jets belonging to the Turkish Air Force also took part in the 'Bayraktar KIZILELMA – GÖKDOĞAN Mounted Flight and Murad AESA Radar Performance Test.' One of the F-16s conducted close formation flight with Bayraktar KIZILELMA, demonstrating the platform's compatibility with manned fighter aircraft, while the other F-16 assumed the role of the 'target aircraft' as required by the scenario. As part of the test, Bayraktar KIZILELMA detected the target F-16 at a distance of 30 miles using the MURAD AESA Radar developed by ASELSAN and locked onto it. It then performed a simulated electronic firing through the GÖKDOĞAN Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile, produced by TÜBİTAK SAGE, which it carried under its wing. In the simulation, Bayraktar KIZILELMA successfully neutralized the highly maneuverable F-16 target with a direct virtual hit, marking an important step for air-to-air combat capabilities. One of the most critical stages of the test was the evaluation of the communication infrastructure between the aircraft, radar, and missile. After locking onto the target F-16, Bayraktar KIZILELMA continuously transmitted real-time target, position, and speed data received from the MURAD AESA radar to the GÖKDOĞAN missile carried under its wing. The successful verification of this data link between Bayraktar KIZILELMA and the munition became an important milestone in the unmanned fighter aircraft's capability to neutralize beyond-visual-range (BVR) targets. During this historic flight over Tekirdağ, three different and challenging test scenarios were successfully carried out simultaneously. While the formation flight with F-16s demonstrated its joint operation capability with manned fighter aircraft, shedding light on the future air combat concept, the aerodynamic and avionics compatibility of the platform was verified with the GÖKDOĞAN Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile carried under its wing. In the same flight, the national MURAD AESA radar was put into operation, and its detection, tracking, locking, and data transmission capabilities were proven under challenging conditions. Since its inception, Baykar has carried out all its projects using its own resources and has earned 83% of its total revenue from exports since the start of its UAV R&D process in 2003. In 2023, Baykar achieved $1.8 billion in exports, ranking among the top 10 companies with the highest exports across all sectors in Türkiye. Baykar, the world's largest unmanned aerial vehicle exporter, continued its global success in 2024, generating 90% of its revenue from exports and achieving $1.8 billion in exports. Baykar, which ranked among the top 10 companies with the highest exports across all sectors in Türkiye in 2023 and 2024 and received the 'Export Champions Award,' was the export leader in the defense and aviation sector in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, according to data from the Presidency of Defense Industries and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM). In 2023, Baykar accounted for one-third of the sector's exports on its own, and in 2024, it alone achieved one-quarter of the total defense and aviation sector exports, positioning Türkiye as a global leader in the armed UAV (SIHA) export market. Baykar has signed export agreements with a total of 37 countries: 36 for the Bayraktar TB2 armed UAV (SIHA) and 16 for the Bayraktar AKINCI tactical UAV (TIHA).