Bayraktar Kızılelma
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The Bayraktar Kızılelma ( English: ''Red Apple'') is a single-engine, low-observable, carrier-capable, jet-powered
unmanned combat aerial vehicle An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircra ...
(UCAV), currently in development by Turkish defense company
Baykar Baykar is a private Turkish defence company specialising in UAVs, C4I and artificial intelligence. Name Baykar is a portmanteau of the words Bayraktar Kardeşler (''Bayraktar Brothers''). The company presently operates under the names "Bayk ...
. The aircraft is being developed as part of Project MIUS (; English: ''Combatant Unmanned Aircraft System''). The initial Bayraktar Kızılelma (''Kızılelma-A'') is subsonic. Planned variants (''Kızılelma-B and Kızılelma-C'') are intended to be supersonic, the latter having a twin-engined configuration. It is one of the two Turkish jet-powered
stealth Stealth may refer to: Military *Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles **Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology ** Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** Ste ...
UCAV An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircr ...
along with
TAI Anka-3 The Anka-3 is a flying wing type stealth UCAV currently in development by Turkish Aerospace Industries. It is one of two Turkish jet-powered stealth UCAVs developed as part of Project MIUS, along with the Bayraktar Kızılelma. Development an ...
. Baykar CTO
Selçuk Bayraktar Selçuk Bayraktar (born 7 October 1979) is a Turkish Aircraft pilot, pilot, engineer and Businessperson, businessman. He is the Chair (officer), chairman of the board and the chief technology officer of the Turkish technology company Baykar. He ...
had initially announced that the Kızılelma was expected to make 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. After
Baykar Baykar is a private Turkish defence company specialising in UAVs, C4I and artificial intelligence. Name Baykar is a portmanteau of the words Bayraktar Kardeşler (''Bayraktar Brothers''). The company presently operates under the names "Bayk ...
decided to form a partnership with Leonardo in the field of UAV, 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 The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP; ; ) is a multinational initiative led by the United Kingdom, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is ...
.


Development

The first conceptual studies for Bayraktar MIUS 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.


Engine selection

The AI-322 Turbofan Engine Supply Agreement and AI-25TLT Turbofan Engine Integration Agreement were signed between Baykar and Ukrainian
Ivchenko-Progress Ivchenko-Progress ZMKB (, ''Zaporizhzhia Machine-Building Design Bureau "Progress" State Enterprise named after Academician O.H.Ivchenko''), formerly OKB, OKB-478 and Ivchenko Lotarev, is a state design bureau that creates drafts and plans for ai ...
at the SahaExpo event in November 2021. The first prototypes will go at subsonic speeds using AI-25TLT engines. The next prototypes are expected to be
supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
with AI-322F engines.


Disclosure of the project name

The project was initially known as MIUS ( English: ''Combatant Unmanned Aircraft System''). Its official name, ''Kızılelma'' (Red Apple in Turkish) was made public in March 2022.


Prototypes

On the same day of the name disclosure, Selçuk Bayraktar revealed that the first Kızılelma prototype has 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.


Beginning of the 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, aircraft completed its fourth flight test. * 18 April 2023, aircraft completed its flight test with landing gear folded inside the fuselage . * 19 April 2023, aircraft completed its sixth and seventh flight tests with serial landing-take-off and high-speed flight trials. * 20 April 2023, 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 SOLOTÜRK or often sytlized as SoloTürk, is a single-aircraft Aerobatics, aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force's 132nd Squadron (Turkey), 132nd Squadron based at the Konya Airport, Konya Air Base. Plans for the team began in No ...
F-16C during TEKNOFEST 2023 in Istanbul. The Kızılelma UCAV is designed to be used as a
loyal wingman Loyal may refer to: * Loyalty Music * ''Loyal'' (album), by Dave Dobbyn, 1988 ** "Loyal" (Dave Dobbyn song) * ''The Loyal'', an album by Tiger Lou, 2005 * "Loyal" (Chris Brown song), 2013 * "Loyal" (PartyNextDoor song), 2019 * "Loyal", a song ...
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 vehicle already produced. The company aims to achieve production of over 10 units by 2026.


Design


Airframe

The Kızılelma is an unmanned aircraft featuring a low-
RCS RCS may refer to: Organizations Arts and entertainment * Radio Corporation of Singapore * Radcliffe Choral Society, a choral ensemble at Harvard University *RCS MediaGroup (Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera), an Italian publishing group *Royal Conserva ...
supersonic airframe equipped with an
AESA radar An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the ant ...
. 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 Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
configuration, previously seen on certain stealth aircraft such as the
Chengdu J-20 The Chengdu J-20 (), also known as Mighty Dragon (, NATO reporting name: Fagin), is a twinjet, twin-engine Night fighter, all-weather Stealth aircraft, stealth fighter developed by China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the People's Liberatio ...
and the
AVIC Dark Sword The AVIC Dark Sword () is a stealth supersonic unmanned combat aerial vehicle from the People's Republic of China. It is being developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute for the air superiority or ...
. 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 The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft, also known as the maximum structural takeoff weight or maximum structural takeoff mass, is the maximum weight at which the p ...
(MTOW) 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 (IRST), TOYGUN-100 Electro-Optical Tracking System, a Distributed Aperture System (DAS), and an IRIS Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS).


Carrier capability

The aircraft is designed in a way that makes it capable to takeoff and land on an
amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of warship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory during an armed conflict. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (which, as a result, ar ...
, such as the
TCG Anadolu TCG ''Anadolu'' (L-400) is a drone-carrying amphibious assault ship of the Turkish Navy. It is named after the peninsula of Anatolia ( Turkish: ''Anadolu'') which forms the majority of the land mass of Turkey. The construction works began on 30 ...
, without any need for a catapult system.


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.


Features

* Satellite control * Fully-autonomous takeoff and landing * Low
radar cross-section Radar cross-section (RCS), denoted σ, also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected. An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy b ...
* High maneuverability * Line Of Sight (LOS) and Beyond LOS (BLOS) controlled * Takeoff and landing capability from short-runway
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
s * High situational awareness with
AESA radar An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the ant ...
* Internal weapons bays


Operators


Planned operators of Bayraktar Kızılelma

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*
Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...
*
Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces (), or Turkish Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the TAF. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was established as the ''Directorate o ...


Specifications (Kızılelma-A)


See also

Other UCAVs of Turkey *
Bayraktar TB2 Bayraktar TB2 (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Standard-bearer TB2'') is a Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operati ...
*
Bayraktar TB3 The Baykar Bayraktar TB3 is a Turkish carrier-based medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of short-range landing and take-off, produced by Baykar. Development The Bayraktar TB3 was first unveiled ...
*
Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı Bayraktar Akıncı (, Raider lit. "Akinji") is a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being manufactured by the Turkish defence company Baykar. The first three units entered service with the Turkish Armed Forc ...
*
TAI Anka The TAI Anka is a family of unmanned aerial vehicles developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries primarily for the Turkish Air Force. Envisioned in the early 2000s for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance missions, Anka has evolved into a modul ...
* TAI Aksungur *
TAI Anka-3 The Anka-3 is a flying wing type stealth UCAV currently in development by Turkish Aerospace Industries. It is one of two Turkish jet-powered stealth UCAVs developed as part of Project MIUS, along with the Bayraktar Kızılelma. Development an ...
* Vestel Karayel China: * FH-97A(2022) * WZ-8(in service since 2018) * MD-22(2022) * FL-71(2018) *
AVIC Dark Sword The AVIC Dark Sword () is a stealth supersonic unmanned combat aerial vehicle from the People's Republic of China. It is being developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute for the air superiority or ...
(2006) USA: *
Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed and built by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions for the United States Air Force's Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) program, unde ...
(2016) *
Boeing MQ-25 Stingray The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an aerial refueling Unmanned aerial vehicle, drone that resulted from the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program, which grew out of the earlier Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike ...
(2013) Australia : *
Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, previously known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), is a stealth, multirole, unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is designed as a force ...
(2019) India: *
HAL Combat Air Teaming System The HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned Indian unmanned and manned combat aircraft air teaming system under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The system will consist of a manned fighter aircraft acting as "mother ...
(2017)


References

{{Stealth aircraft Stealth aircraft Unmanned stealth aircraft Single-engined jet aircraft Kızılelma 2020s Turkish military aircraft Canard aircraft