Historic turning point for KIZILELMA: The obvious is now on the verge of being declared

KIZILELMA, the domestically produced unmanned fighter aircraft developed by BAYKAR, stands as one of the most significant achievements in Türkiye's defense industry to date. While we've been witnessing various tests of the platform for quite some time, the pace has noticeably intensified in recent days. Shortly afterward, we saw KIZILELMA flying with the MURAD AESA radar—also developed domestically—and launching the Gökdoğan missile. Defense industry expert Yusuf Akbaba offered his insights on KIZILELMA's transformation and what awaits us in the near future. Akbaba specifically highlights the recent flight with the MURAD AESA radar and the successful launch of the Gökdoğan missile: ''At the end of the day, this means launching an air-to-air missile from an unmanned fighter aircraft developed by Turkish engineers, using a top-tier AESA radar developed entirely domestically, and firing a missile also fully developed in-country. Yusuf Akbaba also emphasizes that KIZILELMA's domestic radar, indigenous missiles, and other critical subsystems are extremely important for the National Combat Aircraft, KAAN. He stresses that the MURAD AESA radar to be used on KAAN will be far more advanced than the one on KIZILELMA, but notes that the tests still provide a highly valuable dataset. In the latest test, it was publicly announced that KIZILELMA flew alongside F‑16s and was able to lock onto them—and even score simulated hits. Naturally, this brings to mind Türkiye's air patrol missions, particularly over the Aegean Sea and other regions. Yusuf Akbaba offers the following assessment of KIZILELMA taking off with the F‑16s and joining the test: ''In the Aegean or any other region, the cost difference between flying an F‑16 and deploying a highly capable platform like KIZILELMA amounts to millions of dollars. Unmanned systems are far more economical. In addition, foreign F‑16s operating in the area may only be able to remain on station for an hour or an hour and a half, while you can stay in the air uninterrupted for four to five hours. And if necessary, with your domestically developed radar and indigenous missiles, you also have the capability to strike the manned platform across from you. At the end of the day, you gain a system that widens the gap both in capability and cost-efficiency. KIZILELMA will truly make a significant contribution to the history of Turkish aviation.''