The Kizilelma drone, developed by the Turkish company Baykar, has begun flight tests carrying Gökdoğan BVR (Beyond Visual Range) air-to-air missiles.
According to information from The Aviationist, the announcement was made earlier this week by the company and its chief technology officer, Selçuk Bayraktar. Three videos of the tests were shared on his social media channels.
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The videos showed the Kizilelma carrying a Gökdoğan missile on each wing, with the right-wing missile partially painted silver instead of its original orange coating. Chased and filmed by an Akinci, the Kizilelma performed a series of maneuvers before landing.
While the first two videos were labeled “Joint Flight Test with GÖKDOĞAN Ammunition and AESA EOTS-Murad Radar Performance Test,” the third was titled “F-16 Formation Flight, Joint Flight Test with GÖKDOĞAN Ammunition and AESA Murad Radar Performance Test.”
Kemal Topalömer, general director of TÜBİTAK SAGE, the company that developed the Gökdoğan missile, stated that the start of the drone-based missile flight tests by Kizilelma reflects “the accumulated engineering capability, forward-looking vision and technological ambition of Türkiye, which are opening the door to a new era in our national airspace.”
The Kizilelma is a jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle designed for attack missions in high-risk environments and is being developed to operate as a loyal wingman alongside fifth- or sixth-generation fighter jets.
As the company noted, the platform has been designed to carry out roles typically reserved for manned aircraft, including long-range strike missions, operations in contested airspace and cooperative missions with crewed fighters.
Photo and video: Kemal Topalömer / X @BaykarTech. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
