Türkiye’s Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned combat aircraft, fitted with ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar, has successfully detected and struck an aerial target over the Black Sea using TÜBİTAK-SAGE’s GÖKDOĞAN beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.
“This historic achievement demonstrates once again that our strength defines our future,” the ministry said in a statement. “As a nation of soldiers, we continue to break new ground for the next generations.”
According to the ministry, the test represents the first time globally that an unmanned combat aircraft has used a BVR air-to-air missile to destroy an airborne target.
Senior officials “including Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Combat Air Force Commander Gen. Rafet Dalkıran, ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol and Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar”observed the test from the air aboard five F-16s that departed from Merzifon Air Base.
A Global First in Unmanned Air Combat
The supersonic/high-speed Kızılelma’s successful engagement marks the first known instance of a UCAV firing a domestically produced BVR missile guided by a domestic AESA radar and publicly confirming a direct hit, placing Türkiye ahead in a domain where major military powers are competing.
Although several countries ” including the United States, Russia, China and the United Kingdom “ are developing “Loyal Wingman” or next-generation UCAV concepts, none has publicly demonstrated a comparable operational BVR engagement.
Air Superiority Capability for UCAVs
The GÖKDOĞAN missile, with a range of more than 65 km and fire-and-forget capability, provides Kızılelma with an air-superiority function traditionally reserved for 4th- and 5th-generation manned fighter aircraft.
The ministry said the integration illustrates the level of maturity in Turkey’s national defense technologies and shows that unmanned platforms can now undertake missions previously limited to frontline fighter jets.
