Türkiye’s Kizilelma Fighter Drone Executes First Air to Air BVR Kill

Türkiye’s Kizilelma Fighter Drone Executes First Air to Air Strike - YouTube\

Turkey's Kızılelma Claims First Autonomous BVR Air-to-Air Kill

Radar-Guided Engagement Marks Leap Beyond Previous Infrared-Homing UAV Intercepts

Turkey has achieved what appears to be the first autonomous beyond-visual-range air-to-air engagement by an unmanned combat aircraft, executing a capability fundamentally more complex than previous UAV air-to-air demonstrations and marking a significant milestone in the evolution toward autonomous air superiority systems.

On November 30, 2025, Baykar announced that its Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned combat air vehicle successfully destroyed a jet-powered aerial target using an indigenously developed Gökdoğan beyond-visual-range missile over the Black Sea near Sinop. The engagement employed Aselsan's MURAD AESA radar to guide TÜBİTAK SAGE's Gökdoğan missile against a high-speed jet-powered target, demonstrating an end-to-end indigenous Turkish kill chain.

The BVR Distinction

The achievement represents a qualitative leap beyond previous unmanned air-to-air demonstrations. The U.S. Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper achieved the first known air-to-air kill by an unmanned aircraft in November 2017, destroying a target drone using a heat-seeking air-to-air missile, with additional successful AIM-9X Sidewinder engagements conducted in 2020 during Advanced Battle Management System testing.

However, those engagements employed infrared-homing missiles at relatively short ranges where the target's heat signature guides the weapon. True BVR interception requires platforms to carry high-power radar capable of detecting and tracking fast maneuvering targets at extended ranges, maintain continuous mid-course guidance through resilient datalinks, and generate sufficient speed and altitude to optimize missile kinematic performance—capabilities the turboprop-powered MQ-9 lacks.

The Kızılelma demonstration involved autonomous radar detection, track maintenance, and launch of an active radar-guided missile—the engagement profile of manned fighters in air superiority missions.

Test Configuration and Execution

The live-fire test followed a simulated engagement on November 19, 2025, when Kızılelma locked onto an F-16 at 25 nautical miles using its MURAD radar and conducted a simulated missile attack. The progression from simulated to live engagement occurred within days.

Five F-16 fighter jets from the 5th Main Jet Base Command in Merzifon joined Kızılelma over Sinop in formation flight demonstrating manned-unmanned teaming, while a Bayraktar Akıncı UCAV captured the engagement from the air. Turkish Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Combat Air Forces Commander Gen. Rafet Dalkıran, Aselsan General Manager Ahmet Akyol, and Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar monitored the strike from F-16 cockpits.

Systems Integration

The Gökdoğan missile features a range exceeding 65 kilometers, solid-fuel rocket engine, and active radar seeker. Lock-on-after-launch capability is supported through a datalink receiving target updates from the launching aircraft.

The Kızılelma has a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilograms with 1,500 kilograms available for payload and an operational altitude of 35,000 feet. The production prototype incorporates the MURAD-200A AESA radar with provisions for Aselsan's KARAT-100 Infrared Search and Track system, TOYGUN-100 Electro-Optical Tracking System, and IRIS Missile Approach Warning System.

While current prototypes use Ukrainian AI-322F afterburning engines enabling near-sonic speeds, Baykar plans multiple engine configurations within 5-6 years to reduce foreign dependency.

Global Competitive Landscape

The "world first" claim faces scrutiny against competing programs at varying maturity levels. Boeing announced in November 2025 that its MQ-28 Ghost Bat would conduct AIM-120 AMRAAM firing tests in December 2025, placing Australia's program weeks behind Turkey's demonstration.

China's GJ-11 has been observed at operational airbases and flying in formation with J-20 fighters, though no live BVR missile tests have been publicly confirmed. The U.S. XQ-58 Valkyrie has demonstrated manned-unmanned teaming with F-16s and F-35s, with renderings showing AIM-120 AMRAAM configurations, though live air-to-air weapon tests have not been announced.

Different programs have demonstrated different capabilities: Kızılelma with its AESA radar has fired a radar-guided air-to-air missile at a target, while only the Chinese GJ-11, XQ-58A Valkyrie, and MQ-28A Ghost Bat have been controlled by manned aircraft in manned-unmanned teaming operations.

Strategic Implications

Turkey positions the Kızılelma to offer asymmetric advantages in contested regions including the Eastern Mediterranean, Aegean Sea, northern Iraq, and Black Sea, with operational costs of approximately $3,000-4,000 per flight hour compared to F-16's $25,000-30,000.

Export interest continues rising, with 37 countries having signed agreements with Baykar as of 2025, with strong demand from Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. A recent Leonardo-Baykar partnership suggests potential European market opportunities.

The aircraft is designed for takeoff and landing on amphibious assault ships such as TCG Anadolu without catapult systems, providing naval force projection capabilities uncommon among unmanned fighters.

Industry Analysis

Defense analysts note that while Turkey's achievement represents genuine progress in autonomous combat systems, the global landscape involves multiple nations demonstrating various aspects of unmanned air combat capability at different stages.

Future milestones will likely involve increasingly complex manned-unmanned teaming maneuvers with comprehensive mission execution rather than individual capability demonstrations. The progression from radar lock (simulated) to radar-guided kill (live) to multi-aircraft collaborative engagements represents the likely developmental trajectory.

The demonstration confirms that autonomous systems can execute high-fidelity kill chains independently—a capability previously exclusive to human fighter pilots—though questions remain about performance in contested electromagnetic environments and against modern countermeasures.

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Sources

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