Turkey Begins Mass Production of Kizilelma Unmanned Combat Aircraft

Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar has announced that Turkey has begun mass production of the Kızılelma unmanned combat aircraft, with the sixth prototype already on the production line.

He confirmed that the aircraft is expected to enter the Turkish Armed Forces’ inventory in 2026.

“Kızılelma has started mass production,” Bayraktar said, adding, “It’s a complex aircraft. Everything is made in Turkey.”

Recalling Turkey’s past dependency on foreign designs, Bayraktar said, “When I was young, Turkey didn't even have a single aircraft designed. We are now the first country in the world to mass-produce UAVs.”

Bayraktar Kizilelma features structural enhancements and an updated avionics architecture. It underwent a flight test with an alternative engine equipped with an afterburner earlier this year. This new engine is expected to allow the aircraft to approach the speed of sound and perform advanced maneuvers at higher speeds.

The unmanned fighter jet is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, enhancing its situational awareness for complex missions. Baykar self-financed the development of Bayraktar Kizilelma, which first rolled off the production line on November 14, 2022, and completed its maiden flight on December 14, 2022.