(MENAFN) Türkiye’s pioneering uncrewed fighter jet, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, has made international aviation history by becoming the first UAV to fire a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile at a jet-powered target aircraft, following a test operation carried out off the coast of Sinop.

According to reports citing a statement from Baykar on Sunday, the aircraft launched the domestically engineered GOKDOGAN missile, successfully hitting the fast-moving target with exceptional precision.

The missile was released from beneath KIZILELMA’s wing after the target was identified and monitored using ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar. This event marked the first instance in Türkiye’s aviation record in which a nationally produced aircraft fired a homegrown air-to-air missile guided entirely by a Turkish-developed radar system.

The achievement confirms KIZILELMA as the world’s first and only uncrewed platform with validated air-to-air combat capability.

During the test scenario, five F-16s from Merzifon Air Base carried out coordinated formation flights alongside KIZILELMA in a joint crewed-uncrewed maneuver, showcasing emerging models for integrated air combat. A Bayraktar AKINCI UAV also participated, capturing footage of the mission from above.

KIZILELMA’s low radar visibility and high-performance sensors give it the ability to detect opposing aircraft at long range while remaining difficult to track. The platform incorporates advanced systems such as the MURAD AESA radar and TOYGUN targeting suite, and it is compatible with a broad array of Turkish-made munitions.

The aircraft had already demonstrated accuracy in earlier tests using TOLUN and TEBER-82 guided weapons. Its latest successful air-to-air strike further confirms its operational readiness for both air-to-ground and air-to-air engagements, strengthening its role within Türkiye’s evolving defense architecture.

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