Evaluation of Bayraktar KIZILELMA, a former US fighter pilot

Former US F-16 and F/A-18 pilots evaluated the ammunition firing carried out by Bayraktar KIZILELMA from its internal weapon station.

Bayraktar KIZILELMA, developed by Baykar, was subject to evaluation by former US fighter pilots after the latest ammunition tests.

Former U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot C.W. “Mover” Lemoine and former US Navy F/A-18 pilot Trevor “Gonky” Hartsock commented on the images of KIZILELMA releasing TEBER-82 ammunition from the internal weapon station. While watching the test footage, Gonky evaluated the Red Apple's ability with the words "This is pretty cool."

Internal weapon station stands out

KIZILELMA's use of the internal weapon station, following the ammunition tests it previously carried out from external stations, is considered an important step in terms of the low visibility targets of the platform.

Carrying ammunition inside the fuselage contributes to reducing the aircraft's radar visibility compared to external ammunition stations. This feature is important for KIZILELMA to undertake deep attack missions, especially in areas where air defense is intense.

KIZILELMA has demonstrated its air-air capability before. In November 2025, a jet-powered air target detected and tracked by the MURAD AESA radar was destroyed by KIZILELMA with the GÖKDOĞAN air-to-air missile.

In the evaluation of US pilots, the combination of these two capabilities on the same platform stands out. KIZILELMA is intended to be used in air-air, air-ground and, in the future, joint missions with manned warplanes.

Moving towards human-unmanned teamwork

Another important stage in the development of KIZILELMA is the joint operation of manned and unmanned aircraft. Baykar and Leonardo carried out K-SWARM tests in 2026, in which M-346 and KIZILELMA flew together. In the tests, the autonomous formation flights and coordinated operation capabilities of the manned M-346 and the unmanned KIZILELMA were evaluated.