Turkey has achieved an unprecedented first in global military aviation. On November 28, 2025, the Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) became the world’s first fighter-class drone to execute a successful radar-guided beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile engagement in a live-fire test.
The historic achievement—long considered a defining threshold for autonomous air dominance—was accomplished off the coast of Sinop in the Black Sea. In a meticulously planned exercise, the Kızılelma fired a Turkish-made Gökdoğan BVR missile, valued at around USD 1 million per round, using guidance from its onboard Murad active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The missile struck a fast jet-powered aerial target, validating for the first time that a fully unmanned fighter aircraft can independently complete a BVR kill chain previously reserved exclusively for human pilots.
During the test, the Kızılelma prototype flew operationally alongside five Turkish Air Force F-16s to assess manned-unmanned teaming, sensor synchronisation, and tactical data-link reliability under combat-like conditions. The UCAV autonomously detected, tracked, and classified the target drone using its Murad radar before launching the Gökdoğan missile from its wing station.
Footage released after the trial captured the missile performing a lofted flight profile—rising sharply after launch to maximise range and terminal energy before plunging down onto the target and achieving a high-energy frontal kill. The test confirmed that the UCAV can independently execute each stage of the BVR engagement sequence: from target acquisition and fire-control quality tracking to missile launch, midcourse guidance, and terminal homing.
Turkish Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu described the achievement as an epoch-defining moment.
“Today we have opened the doors to a new era in aviation history,” he said. “For the first time in the world, an unmanned combat aircraft fired an air-to-air missile with radar guidance and hit an aerial target with perfect accuracy. Turkey has become the first country in the world to achieve this… and the doors to next-generation aerial warfare have been opened.”
Named after the mythical “Red Apple” symbolising an aspirational but inevitable victory, the Bayraktar Kızılelma reflects Ankara’s ambition to pioneer a new generation of autonomous fighter aircraft. The UCAV’s development followed battlefield successes of Baykar’s TB2 and Akinci drones, which reshaped conflicts from Ukraine to Nagorno-Karabakh and propelled Turkey to the forefront of unmanned warfare innovation.
The program reached several key milestones in rapid succession: first engine run in 2022, maiden flight in December that year, supersonic envelope testing in 2024, and advanced sensor integration flights in 2025. Equipped with a stealth-enhanced airframe, the UCAV is designed for loyal-wingman roles, cooperative strike missions, and autonomous combat operations with fighters like the F-16 and Turkey’s fifth-generation KAAN.
With a maximum take-off weight of 8.5 tonnes and a 1.5-tonne weapons payload, Kızılelma can fly up to 30,000 feet with a combat radius of 500 nautical miles. Its early variants cruise at Mach 0.6, with future models aiming to reach Mach 1.2.
The UCAV’s low-observable design—featuring serrated edges, an aerodynamically blended fuselage, and provisions for internal weapon bays—gives it radar signature levels comparable to fourth-generation fighter jets. Initially powered by Ukrainian AI-322F engines, Kızılelma is expected to transition to Turkish-designed TEI TF-6000 and TF-10000 turbofans by 2027.
Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar said the accomplishment would extend the tactical revolution initiated by earlier Turkish drones. “The game-changing impact that Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs created in air-to-ground missions will now be carried into air-to-air missions with Bayraktar Kızılelma,” he said.
Central to the UCAV’s success is the Murad-100A AESA radar, Turkey’s most advanced indigenous airborne sensor to date. Developed by Turkish defence electronics giant ASELSAN, Murad uses gallium nitride technology for increased efficiency, power output, and electronic warfare resilience.
Revealed at the 2022 Istanbul Airshow, Murad underwent rigorous ground and flight testing—first aboard an Akinci UCAV in early 2025 and then on the Kızılelma PT-5 prototype in October. Its detection range reportedly reaches 160 nautical miles, with tracking capability above 120 nautical miles, placing it among the world’s elite fighter radars.
ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol emphasised the radar’s significance: “For the first time in the world, a BVR air-to-air missile fired using AESA radar technology from an unmanned combat aircraft destroyed the target.”
Murad’s advanced features include synthetic aperture radar imaging, digital beam forming, high-bandwidth air-to-air tracking, and robust electronic counter-countermeasures—capabilities typically found in high-end manned fighters. Its modular design supports integration across UCAVs, upgraded F-16s, and the future KAAN fighter, creating a multi-platform networked sensor ecosystem.
Developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE, the Gökdoğan missile represents Turkey’s strategic shift toward aerospace self-reliance. Operational since 2024, it offers ranges exceeding 65 km in its baseline configuration, with future extended-range models expected to reach up to 180 km.
The missile incorporates an active radar seeker, dual-mode guidance, mid-course datalink, and a high-energy solid fuel motor. Its seeker algorithms include sophisticated anti-jamming measures, enabling high survivability in electronic warfare environments.
In the November 28 test, Gökdoğan demonstrated seamless integration with the Murad radar, receiving mid-course updates before switching to autonomous terminal homing.
The successful BVR engagement positions Turkey at the forefront of unmanned fighter technology, ahead of major defence powers including the United States, China, and Australia. Neither the American XQ-58A Valkyrie nor China’s GJ-11 has yet demonstrated live BVR missile firing, while Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat is scheduled for such tests later in 2025.
Defence analysts say Kızılelma’s low cost—between USD 30–40 million—combined with an operational cost of only USD 3,000–4,000 per flight hour, gives Turkey an asymmetric advantage. For comparison, a single F-16 flight hour costs USD 25,000–30,000.
These economics enable high-intensity sortie rates, swarm-based tactics, and persistent air patrols in contested areas such as the Eastern Mediterranean, northern Iraq, and the Aegean Sea.
Export interest in Kızılelma is already booming, with Baykar reporting agreements with 37 countries. Strong demand is emerging from Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia.
The landmark test comes after a simulated BVR engagement on November 20, where the Kızılelma PT-5 successfully “shot down” a Turkish F-16 in a virtual scenario. The live-fire trial validated all elements of the autonomous kill chain under real conditions, including target prioritisation and formation-level decision-making.
After the test, Baykar declared: “This marked the first time in aviation history that an unmanned fighter jet successfully destroyed a jet-engine–powered aerial target using a BVR air-to-air missile.”
As future tests in 2026 evaluate engagements against more advanced ŞİMŞEK high-speed drones and explore internal weapons bay launches, Kızılelma will move closer to becoming the world’s most capable unmanned fighter.
The UCAV’s integration with Turkey’s TB3, Akinci, and KAAN platforms is expected to anchor a fully networked air combat ecosystem built on autonomy, sensor fusion, and distributed lethality.
Turkey’s milestone signals the beginning of a fundamental shift in global airpower. Analysts predict that autonomous UCAVs like Kızılelma could soon outnumber and outmaneuver manned fighters in several mission sets, thanks to their lower cost, higher survivability thresholds, and unlimited endurance.
Regional rivals—including Greece, Israel, and Russia—are expected to accelerate their own unmanned fighter programs, triggering a new arms race centred on autonomy rather than speed or stealth alone.
