Türkiye’s unmanned stealth fighter jet, Bayraktar Kizilelma, achieved a major milestone by locking onto and simulating a direct hit on an F-16 during a test flight, demonstrating the capabilities of its domestically produced MURAD AESA radar and Gokdogan air-to-air missile.
Baykar, the Turkish UAV manufacturer, announced on Thursday that the flight validated critical systems that will prove Kizilelma’s effectiveness in future air combat scenarios.
The one-hour, 45-minute flight took off from the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Centre in Corlu, Tekirdag, at an average altitude of 4,572 metres. During the sortie, Kizilelma performed formation flying with two Turkish Air Force F-16s while integrating national radar and munitions.
One F-16 acted as a “target aircraft” while the other demonstrated close-range coordination with the unmanned platform, highlighting Kizilelma’s compatibility with manned fighter jets.
In the test, Kizilelma detected the F-16 target at a range of 48.2 kilometres using the ASELSAN-developed MURAD AESA radar, locked onto the aircraft, and conducted a simulated electronic missile launch with the TUBITAK SAGE-manufactured Gokdogan. The successful test confirmed the UAV’s ability to neutralize highly manoeuvrable targets in a simulated environment.
A key aspect of the flight was validating the communication link between Kizilelma, its radar, and the missile. Target location, speed, and tracking data were seamlessly transmitted from the MURAD radar to the Gokdogan missile, marking a significant step for beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagement capability.
The flight, part of Bayraktar Kizilelma’s testing program totaling over 55 hours, simultaneously executed three challenging scenarios: formation flight with manned fighters, aerodynamic and avionics compatibility checks with Gokdogan munitions, and radar detection, tracking, and data transfer validation. The successful tests underscore the platform’s operational readiness and its potential role in Türkiye’s future air combat strategies.
