Bayraktar Kızılelma


The Bayraktar Kızılelma is a single-engine, stealth, carrier-capable, jet-powered, artificial intelligence capable unmanned multirole fighter, currently in development by Turkish defense company Baykar. The aircraft is being developed as part of Project MIUS. The initial Bayraktar Kızılelma is subsonic. Planned variants are intended to be supersonic, with the latter having a twin-engined configuration. It is one of the two Turkish jet-powered stealth UCAVs, along with the TAI Anka-3. It is the world's first AESA radar equipped, BVR missile equipped, artificial intelligence based autonomous flight capable unmanned multirole fighter. The aircraft incorporates autonomous flight, take off, landing and taxi capability. It is equipped with an artificial intelligence enabled mission computer. Its structure is optimized for both short-runway and aircraft carrier operations. The aircraft is equipped with Aselsan made MURAD AESA Radar, Infrared search and track system and Electro-optical targeting system.
On November 30, 2025, the Bayraktar Kızılelma successfully completed a landmark flight and firing test campaign, achieving a global first among Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles. The platform successfully launched Gökdoğan, a Beyond-Visual-Range air-to-air missile, which is equipped with an active radar seeker head, utilizing the autonomous guidance capabilities of its own integrated MURAD AESA Radar system. With this unparalleled operational demonstration, the Kızılelma has officially secured its position as the world's first unmanned fighter jet to validate this critical BVR engagement capability on a fully autonomous platform. On December 17, 2025, two Bayraktar Kızılelma performed the world's first autonomous close-formation flight by two unmanned fighter jets, using artificial intelligence. This was the first time in the history of aviation when two unmanned fighter aircraft flew in close formation on their own.

Development

The first conceptual studies for the Bayraktar MIUS program for the Bayraktar Kızılelma started in 2013. In July 2021, the first design images and information about the characteristics of the aircraft were shared with the public. Haluk Bayraktar stated that Baykar is considering spending $1 billion in the development process of project. The project was initially known as MIUS. Its official name, Kızılelma was made public in March 2022. It is a wordplay in Turkic mythology.
Baykar CTO Selçuk Bayraktar had initially announced that the Kızılelma was expected to take its maiden flight in 2023, adding that a jet-powered UCAV was a "12-year-long dream". The Kızılelma was able to complete its first flight ahead of the expected date, in December 2022.
In 2025, after Baykar decided to form a partnership with Leonardo in the field of UAVs, some aviation experts began to talk about the possibility that Kızılelma would be selected as the loyal wingman aircraft of the Global Combat Air Programme.

Prototypes

On the same day of the name disclosure, Selçuk Bayraktar revealed that the first Kızılelma prototype had entered the assembly line. The first ready-to-fly prototype was displayed to the public in Teknofest 2022. The third prototype, which is considered the production prototype, successfully completed its first flight on September 25, 2024 from the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu. This prototype, with tail number TC-ÖZB3, featured significant structural and airframe differences from the original, including an afterburning engine, aerodynamic improvements, and an updated avionics architecture.

Testing process

  • The first engine integration test was successfully conducted on 19 September 2022.
  • On 20 November 2022, automatic taxiing and ground running tests were carried out.
  • Take-off test flights began on 3 December 2022 and Kızılelma cut its wheels off the ground for the first time.
  • The aircraft made its maiden flight on 14 December 2022.
  • The drone successfully made its second flight in mid-January 2023.
  • 15 April 2023, the aircraft completed its fourth flight test.
  • 18 April 2023, the aircraft completed its flight test with landing gear folded inside the fuselage.
  • 19 April 2023, the aircraft completed its sixth and seventh flight tests with serial landing-take-off and high-speed flight trials.
  • 20 April 2023, the aircraft completed its eight flight test with high-speed flight and maneuver trials, as well as serial landing-take-off and passing trials.
  • 30 April 2023, the Kızılelma UCAV flew in formation with a SoloTürk F-16C during TEKNOFEST 2023 in Istanbul. The Kızılelma UCAV is designed to be used as a loyal wingman by the combat aircraft of the Turkish Air Force.
  • 17 June 2023, Turkish UAV Bayraktar KIZILELMA reached an altitude of 9.5 km during the 12th test flight.

Production

In October 2024, Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar announced that mass production of Kızılelma had begun, with one aircraft already produced. The company aims to achieve production of over 10 units by 2026.

Design

Airframe

The Kızılelma is an uncrewed aircraft featuring a low-RCS supersonic airframe equipped with an AESA radar. The aircraft is powered by a turbofan engine fed by two air inlets. Yaw control is achieved with two vertical stabilizers. The aircraft has coupled-canard controls for increased maneuverability or better controlling the main wing airflow. Internal compartments will allow the aircraft to operate in contested environments while sustaining low observability.
The aerodynamic controls feature canards-delta configuration, previously seen on certain stealth aircraft such as the Chengdu J-20 and the AVIC Dark Sword. The canards offer a trade-off between relatively less stealth but great maneuverability. Some control measures could be implemented to reduce its impact on radar signature.
The Kızılelma has a maximum takeoff weight of, with 1,500 kg of weight available for the payload. According to data shared by the company, the Kızılelma will have an operational altitude of.
The production prototype incorporates an AESA radar, likely the MURAD-200A, for improved situational awareness. It also features provisions for defensive and survivability suites such as Aselsan's KARAT-100 Infra-Red Search and Track, TOYGUN-100 Electro-Optical Tracking System, a Distributed Aperture System, and an IRIS Missile Approach Warning System.
The aircraft is designed in a way that makes it capable to takeoff and land on an amphibious assault ship, such as the TCG Anadolu, without any need for a catapult system.

Engine

The AI-322 Turbofan Engine Supply Agreement and AI-25TLT Turbofan Engine Integration Agreement were signed between Baykar and Ukrainian Ivchenko-Progress at the SahaExpo event in November 2021. The first prototypes will reach subsonic speeds using AI-25TLT engines. The next prototypes are expected to be supersonic with AI-322F engines.

Features

Variants

During Teknofest 2022, Baykar announced that there will be at least 3 variants of Kızılelma with different engine configurations. The engines are produced by the Turkish-Ukrainian joint venture Black Sea Shield. Kızılelma-A will be capable of near-supersonic speeds, being powered by the AI-25TLT engine. Kızılelma-B will fly at supersonic speeds, powered by a single Ukrainian AI-322F engine. The Kızılelma-C will incorporate two AI-322F engines.
While the production prototype uses a Ukrainian AI-322 afterburning engine, allowing it to approach sonic speeds with improved maneuverability at high speeds. Baykar has stated that there will be several types of engines available for Kızılelma within 5–6 years, aiming to reduce foreign dependency.

Operators

Planned