KIZILELMA Unmanned Fighter Aircraft Performs Maiden Flight
On December 6, 2019, the AKINCI UCAV made its maiden flight and on August 29, 2021, it was included in the national inventory. As of December 2022, export contracts were signed with five countries for AKINCI. About 1.5 years later, only 19 months after the concept design was completed, BAYKAR Technologies took KIZILELMA to the skies using the technical infrastructure and know-how gained from the AKINCI UCAV.
According to the statement made by BAYKAR Technologies, BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA, which took off at 14:59 following the completion of the necessary pre-flight tests at the Akıncı Flight Training and Test Center located at Tekirdağ Çorlu Airfield Command, successfully completed its maiden flight and landed at 15:17. Türkiye's first domestically designed and built jet-powered Unmanned Fighter Aircraft, BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA, ushered in a new era in Turkish aviation history with this historic first flight test lasting 18 minutes.
BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA (tail number TC-ÖZB), the second production prototype powered by the Ivchenko Progress AI-25TLT turbofan engine, rolled out of the production line at Özdemir Bayraktar National UAV R&D and Production Campus on November 14, 2022, and was then brought to the Akıncı Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu. As part of the ground tests conducted, the first automatic taxi and ground driving tests of BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA were successfully performed on November 20, 2022, and BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA performed its maiden flight on December 3, 2022. The first Engine Integration Test of KIZILELMA with the Ivchenko Progress AI-25TLT turbofan engine was conducted on September 17, 2022, at the test field in Özdemir BAYRAKTAR National Technology Center, on the first prototype aircraft produced for ground tests of critical systems.
Critical Milestones of BAYKAR's KIZILELMA Unmanned Fighter Aircraft Project
BAYKAR shared its initial concept designs for the Unmanned Fighter Aircraft with the public on December 24, 2015, with a presentation by CEO Haluk BAYRAKTAR at a panel discussion titled "Türkiye's UAV Roadmap in Relation to Technological Developments," organized jointly by SETA, Presidency of Defense Industry Agency (SSB), and STM.
Due to time constraints, Haluk BAYRAKTAR was unable to use several of the presentation's slides. These included concept designs of stealth Unmanned Fighter Aircraft (two distinct concept designs were shared) and MALE Class Armed/UCAV solutions, as well as technical specifications of the aircraft. A 36-month program schedule was set for the development of the turbofan engine-powered Unmanned Fighter Aircraft (0.8 Mach cruise speed), which is expected to have an operational altitude of 40,000ft, 4-5 hours endurance, maximum take-off weight of approximately 3.5 tons, a payload capacity of 1 ton, and a SatCom datalink.
The concept design of the turbofan-engine BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA, the development of which began in 2020, was completed in May 2021, and on July 20, 2021 the first concept design images of the Unmanned Fighter Aircraft and the first details about the aircraft's features were shared with the public. On that date, it was also announced for the first time that BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA would be able to land and takeoff from surface platforms with short runways. Meanwhile, the AI-322F Turbofan Engine Supply Contract and the AI-25TLT Turbofan Engine Integration Contract were signed between BAYKAR Technologies and Ivchenko Progress on November 11, 2021, during the SAHA EXPO 2021 Exhibition for the supply and integration processes of the turbofan engines to be utilized in the KIZILELMA configurations.
The production line image of Unmanned Fighter Aircraft was first published on March 12, 2022, and the fuselage production of the “Prototype Production Development Model,” which is a full-scale mock-up of Unmanned Fighter Aircraft, launched on this date at Özdemir Bayraktar National UAV R&D and Production Campus. On March 12, 2022, the official name of the project, "KIZILELMA," was first released to the public. On March 27, 2022, the Unmanned Fighter Aircraft’s fuselage image with wings mounted was first shared by BAYKAR on its official social media account.
With the help of the experience gained from the "Prototype Production Development Model," BAYKAR also began making the second production prototype with the tail number TC-ÖZB, which was used for KIZILELMA’s ground and flight tests.
BAYKAR Technologies CTO Selçuk BAYRAKTAR shared the first photo of the painted KIZILELMA Prototype Production Development Model on his Twitter account on June 11, 2022. It was noteworthy that the aircraft had the Turkish flag on its tail, and the no "01" on its tail and nose, as it was the first production model. In the images of the production line posted by Selçuk BAYRAKTAR on June 19, 2022, the Prototype Production Development Model of KIZILELMA and the second production model/prototype, which was still in production at that time and called PT-2, were both next to each other. Images of the second production model/prototype of KIZILELMA getting ready for flight with the tail number TC-ÖZB were shared by Baykar Technologies CTO Selçuk BAYRAKTAR on his social media account on August 26, 2022. The model/prototype was first on display at TEKNOFEST BLACK SEA in Samsun from August 30 to September 4 of that same year. The aircraft bore the signature of Özdemir BAYRAKTAR, the founder of BAYKAR, who passed away on October 18, 2021.
BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA’s Design and Technical Features
A jet-powered and delta-wing unmanned fighter aircraft BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA has two vertical tails on its front fuselage, on the air vents, with two horizontal control surfaces (dihedral canard, thus expected to have aggressive maneuverability in air-to-air combat). It is believed that the aircraft's control surfaces are electromechanically propelled.
BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA is a jet-powered unmanned fighter aircraft with a delta type wing structure and two vertical tails on the front of its fuselage, on the air vents, with two horizontal control surfaces (dihedral canard, thus expected to have strong maneuverability in air-to-air combat). It is thought that the aircraft's control surfaces are electromechanically driven.
According to an open-source review, KIZILELMA, whose X-Band RCS is measured as 0.24, has a body shaped in certain angles and forms to reduce the radar cross-section for stealth capability, and an internal weapon bay to carry precision-guided air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions.
In addition, the coverings on the fuselage are also manufactured in serrated structure in order to reduce the radar cross-section. In the final version, the fuselage is anticipated to be coated with special materials and paint that absorb radar signals. BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA, which is announced to be capable of landing and taking off on short-runway ships such as the TCG Anadolu LHD, is expected to be able to land on short-runway ships with the assistance of arresting gear (wire ropes and hooks). Additionally, it was revealed that KIZILELMA will have the ability to fight as a swarm UAV thanks to its smart UAV autonomy.
As previously mentioned, the AI-322F turbofan engines, which have a maximum thrust of 9,260 lb with afterburner and a maximum thrust of 5,500 lb without afterburner, have been selected for KIZILELMA, which will have a variety of engine options. The TF-6000 (6,000lb thrust) and its afterburner version TF-10000 (10,000lb thrust) turbofan engines, which are currently developed by TEI, will also be used in KIZILELMA models.
According to information released to the public, BAYRAKTAR KIZILELMA will be produced in three different models. The first model is called KIZILELMA-A, and it will be able to fly at nearly supersonic speeds (Mach 0.6 - Mach 0.9, transonic) thanks to an Ivchenko Progress AI-25TLT TF engine with a thrust capacity of 3,800lb that was also utilized in the first flight test. The second model, KIZILELMA-B, will be powered by an AI-322F turbofan engine, will have more ammo carrying capacity, and will be able to reach supersonic speeds (Mach 1.35, supersonic). The third model is the KIZILELMA-C, which will be capable of operating at supersonic speeds (Mach 1.35, supersonic) with two AI-322F TF engines, which will have more in-fuselage weapon bay capacity and higher ammo carrying capacity.
The KIZILELMA-A version has a fuselage length of 14.7m, a height of 3.3m and a wingspan of 10m. With a maximum take-off weight of 6 tons and a maximum speed of Mach 0.6, KIZILELELMA-A will have an endurance of 5+ hours, a mission/combat radius of 500nm and climb to an altitude of 35,000ft (45,000ft for B and C models). KIZILELELMA-A, which has autonomous take-off and landing capability, will have payloads such as Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS/IR/LD/LRF) and Multi-Purpose ASELSAN MURAD AESA Radar, and can be controlled and commanded both in line of sight (LoS) and beyond line of sight (BLoS) thanks to its SatCom communication capability. KIZILELMA-A, which has a total payload capacity of 1,500kg, including three bays under each wing (a total of six external load bays) and in-fuselage weapon bay, will be able to carry a wide range of indigenous air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. These include SOM-J, KUZGUN TJ/SS, ÇAKIR, GÖKÇE, GÖZDE, Miniature Bomb, LGK, LAÇİN, TEBER-81/82, LHGK-84, HGK-82/83/84, and IIR guided BOZDOĞAN and RF guided GÖKDOĞAN air-to-air missiles
