The Turkish company Baykar has begun mass production of the Kızılelma combat unmanned fighter, which is due to enter service with the Turkish Armed Forces in 2026. This was stated by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Baykar Selçuk Bayraktar on the air of the CNN Türk television channel, Ukrinform reports. According to him, the sixth prototype of the new drone is currently on the production line.
Kızılelma is a new generation unmanned fighter. Bayraktar emphasized that this type of equipment allows for risky operations without endangering human life.
“The Kızılelma fighter is unmanned, so you can easily take risks with them… UAVs used to be reconnaissance vehicles, but they were transformed into combat vehicles. They neutralized the largest number of combat vehicles and military equipment. Bayraktar TB2 achieved this,” Selçuk Bayraktar said.
He added that Turkey will account for 65% of the global drone market by 2025 and is the first country in the world to mass-produce UAVs. Baykar also emphasizes that the future of aviation is connected to robotic drone swarms and the development of unmanned combat systems.
Bayraktar Kızılelma is Turkey's first multi-role fighter drone, which has been under development since 2021 and is financed by Baykar from its own funds. The drone is equipped with a turbojet engine, in particular a modification of the Ukrainian AI-322F, which provides the ability to achieve supersonic speed and high maneuverability.
Kızılelma is capable of taking off from short decks, landing automatically, operating in difficult combat conditions and carrying up to 1.5 tons of weapons. An important feature is its low radar signature and equipping with an AESA radar, which increases situational awareness in combat operations.
This drone is positioned as an autonomous combat platform with the functions of a light fighter capable of performing a wide range of combat missions.