TB2 from Türkiye gained a lot of attention due to the ongoing Ukraine - Russia
conflict where it has played a significant role.
On 1 March 2022 Ukraine even released a song dedicated to it.
Türkiye’s Bayraktar, which is the maker of TB2 is pursuing another platform - Kızılelma.
Kızılelma has completed its fourth evaluation -the System Identification Test.
Selçuk Bayraktar, Baykar chairperson and chief technology officer (CTO),
shared the update on his Twitter account with video footage.
The Bayraktar Kızılelma will be showcased at the major technology event Teknofest,
which will be held this year in Istanbul from April 27 to May 1.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why the Bayraktar Kızılelma fighter-like drone is
an interesting proposition? Let’s get started.
Bayraktar Kızılelma (English: Red Apple) is a single-engine, low-observable,
carrier-capable, jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
The development of the Kizilelma began as long ago as 2013, although the project was
only revealed to the public in July 2021, when conceptual studies were presented.
The aircraft is being developed as part of Project MIUS (English:
Combatant Unmanned Aircraft System).
The Kızılelma will feature a low-RCS supersonic airframe equipped with an AESA radar.
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 canards offer a trade-off between relatively less stealth but great maneuverability.
The Kızılelma has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 6,000 kilograms (13,200 lb),
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 35,000 feet (10,670 m).
The prototype version of Bayraktar Kızılelma (Kızılelma-A) is subsonic. It is powered by
a non-afterburning Ivchenko-Progress AI-25TLT turbofan. Even with the non-afterburning engine,
the Kizilelma should offer impressive performance for a drone, with a maximum speed close to Mach 1.
Both future versions of Bayraktar Kızılelma (Kızılelma-B and Kızılelma-C) will be supersonic,
the latter having a twin-engine configuration. An afterburning
Ivchenko-Progress AI-322F, will ensure supersonic performance.
In contrast to the TB2 and Akinci, the fast and high-flying Kizilelma is planned to have
an air-to-air combat capability, as well as conduct intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), strike operations and suppression of
enemy air defenses (SEAD) operations. A slew of weapons is being conceptualized
for the drone. All weapons will be carried in Internal weapons bays
It will be capable of taking off from and landing on short-runway aircraft carriers,
including Türkiye’s flagship landing helicopter dock (LHD) type amphibious assault vessel TCG
Anadolu, without any need for a catapult system, which has recently entered the navy’s inventory.
In addition, the autonomously maneuvering Kızılelma can
operate in tandem with piloted aircraft.
Slow-flying & noisy Bayraktar TB2 is vulnerable to
attacks by air defense systems, fighter jets, and helicopters.
Also, TB2 can’t effectively retaliate with Air to Air missiles.
This is what is being changed with Kızılelma. It is interesting to note that the US military
is also looking to consistently operate MQ-9 Reaper with AIM-9X Block 2 missiles.
In less than a decade, Turkey has become a drone powerhouse.
Unmanned aerial vehicles were its defense industry's single largest export last year,
totaling $871.5 million — an 80% increase over 2021.
In an interview, the Chief Technical Officer , Selcuk Bayraktar,
said that Turkey’s Kizilelma supersonic unmanned fighter jet would outperform the
American F-35 and “will be a challenge” to fifth-generation classical aviation.
Viewers may note that Turkey was an early participant in the F-35 program,
contributed financially to its development, and was supposed to buy 100 F-35A models. But
it was kicked out of the F-35 program because it decided to acquire the Russian S-400 system.
So, the statement made by Selcuk Bayraktar can be
associated with this context and it remains to be seen how it progresses.