Türkiye’s first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, achieved a historic milestone by locking onto a target F-16 and scoring a simulated direct hit using the indigenously developed GÖKDOĞAN air-to-air missile. The test marks one of the most significant steps in Türkiye’s unmanned fighter aircraft program.
Taking off from the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu, Tekirdağ, KIZILELMA flew for 1 hour and 45 minutes at an average altitude of 15,000 feet.
During this mission, the platform conducted close formation flight with F-16s and successfully validated the integration of national radar systems and domestically produced air-to-air missiles.
With this sortie, KIZILELMA’s total flight test time exceeded 55 hours.
Manned–Unmanned Teaming: F-16 and KIZILELMA in Joint Mission
Two Turkish Air Force F-16s supported the mission:
- First F-16: Performed close formation flight with KIZILELMA, proving manned-unmanned teaming capability.
- Second F-16: Acted as the target aircraft, enabling the simulated engagement sequence.
This test is a major validation of Türkiye’s future manned-unmanned collaborative air combat doctrine.
MURAD AESA Radar Detects F-16 at 30 Miles
Using ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA Radar, KIZILELMA detected and locked onto the target F-16 from a distance of 30 nautical miles.
It then simulated an electronic missile launch with the TÜBİTAK SAGE-developed GÖKDOĞAN BVR missile mounted under its wing.
Real-Time Data Link Test Completed with Full Success
One of the most critical parts of the mission was verifying the real-time data transfer between the aircraft, radar and missile.
After achieving radar lock, KIZILELMA continuously transmitted the target’s position, speed and direction from MURAD AESA to GÖKDOĞAN’s guidance unit.
This success demonstrates a major breakthrough in KIZILELMA’s “Beyond Visual Range (BVR)” engagement capability.
Three High-Stress Test Scenarios Completed in a Single Flight
The same flight successfully validated three key mission profiles:
1) Manned-Unmanned Formation Flight
Confirmed seamless coordination between KIZILELMA and F-16s, shaping future combat concepts.
2) GÖKDOĞAN Missile Integration
Verified the missile’s aerodynamic compatibility, avionics integration and engagement workflow.
3) MURAD AESA Radar Performance
Tested detection, tracking, locking and high-bandwidth data transfer in realistic flight conditions.
