MILTECH - Turkey's Baykar has begun ground testing of its Bayraktar Kizilelma drone, described as the country's first unmanned aerial vehicle. The following footage of the tests, at the Akinci Flight Test and Training Center in the northwestern region of Tekirdag, which included a taxi ride before its first flight, gives us the best look at this aircraft and - no one. This shows that it is aimed at different types of combat and will be developed for aircraft-based operations.
Kizilelma - which means red apple in Turkish - is Baykar, who is responsible for the Bayraktar TB2 that has seen success in the fight against Azerbaijan and Ukraine, as well as the large Bayraktar Akinci. Kizilelma is a very different concept, however, it is claimed to be unique (at least in other versions), with some visible characteristics that are reduced, and fit in the form of an airplane. attack by manned aircraft.
Powered by a single Ukrainian-made Ivchenko-Progress turbojet engine, the Kizilelma has a canard-delta configuration, a type seen in other low-cost fighter jet designs, notably China's J-20 fighter and the mysterious Sword Drk. The use of canards is a compromise between low visibility and maneuverability, although some measures can be taken to limit their effect on the radar signature. The stations have a vertical stand. Depending on the technical requirements, Kizilelma should have five to six hours, a combat range of 500 nautical miles and an operating height of 35,000 feet. Maximum payload is 13,228 pounds, including a payload of 3,306 pounds. The paid cargo will include the magazines that are thrown by force in the inner port, while protecting its identity and privacy. The weapons will include examples of air-to-air weapons that will be in space and air-to-air weapons developed by Turkish companies. Although it is expected that the first version of Kizilelma and other launch models will be powered by the Ivchenko-Progress AI-25TLT turbojet without an afterburner, there are plans to replace it with other versions and Ivchenko-Progress AI-322F afterburner, which is expected to achieve supersonic performance.
Even with an engine without an afterburner, Kizilelma should deliver excellent performance for a drone, with a top speed close to Mach 1. Finally, there are plans for a twin-engine model, with a pair of AI-322Fs, for better performance. In its original form, the exhaust of the engine is negative, although it is possible that the low visibility characteristics can be improved in this area, which is done by Russia with the Okhotnik drone . But of course, this aircraft has plans to reduce its radar cross section in some areas, such as the chine fuselage line, but it is clear that the high performance has been used with a heavier weight than a small sample. It's not something we usually see in UCAVs, except for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, at least to some extent. Unlike TB2 and Akinci, the fast, high-flying Kizilelma is expected to be capable of air-to-air combat, as well as conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. However, there are few details in avionics and in general mission architecture that will be required to conduct anti-aircraft, let alone those that are easy to operate. Apparently, the drone will be equipped with some kind of radar-based electronic surveillance (AESA).
In general, it is unclear if Kizilelma's general concept is based on a "loyal wingman" type of friendly drone, or if the drone will be controlled from the station, or even if he had to come out to shoot down an enemy plane. a certain degree of freedom. The development of Kizilelma began as early as 2013, although the project was not revealed to the public until July 2021, when the concept study was presented. The first flight is expected to take place next year. This goal seems to be achievable, since the prototype is currently undergoing ground tests.
According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, the taxi and ground tests have actually been completed, although this cannot be confirmed. In a video posted on his Twitter account, Selcuk Bayraktar, Baykar's chief technical officer, said that the first test of the rollout will be done at a slow speed but "we have passed that limit" and "the first self-driving taxi will take. Off roll test" successfully completed. This would seem to suggest that Hurriyet's report is incorrect in this respect and that further ground tests are planned.
Hurriyet also reports that the first "engine installation test" was completed two months ago - this may refer to the first time the engine was installed on the ground, as shown in the video below.
Speaking at the Turkish Teknofest aerospace and technology event held in Samsun in August, Haluk Bayraktar, the CEO of Baykar, said about Kizilelma: "The cost will not be high, we will be able to produce more and cheaper."
If so, Baykar could bring combat drones to market where customers may not be able to afford similar American products or who cannot obtain export licenses for high-end combat drones. . Currently, a few other countries - apart from the famous Australia - have progressed to test drones of this type, while China is the most famous. It is not known whether the overall price will be low enough for Kizilelma to be considered "pretty", even if only for certain conditions, although that seems possible. .
Another important part of Kizilelma is that it is said that it will be carried by a small plane like Anadolu, which has a "ski jump" that lifts it up. and bow. Reports from Turkey suggest that the military initially wants to build small Bayraktar TB2 drones from Anadolu, but it is not known what level of modifications will be required to ship in Kizilelma to make this drone bigger and stronger. .
In fact, the landing gear of the Kizilelma type was found to be performing the ground test as being very easy to cope with the force of the seat removal and recovery. It is not known whether Kizilelma in its basic form will have the required thrust for the start of the ski, without the aid of a catapult. Baykar officials have said that Anadolu will install a cable to retrieve the drones. "In order to give the UAVs the ability to fly and board the aircraft, their systems must be strong because they are equipped with advanced G-shocks," Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar told Defense News in 2021. "We intends to create a new UCAV. that will land and fly successfully at LHD Anadolu within a year," he added, perhaps referring to Kizilelma, or perhaps another development of TB2. Overall, Kizilelma is an interesting approach to creating advanced UCAV designs. It seems to combine the features of a low-signature model (rather than a visible one) with air and power that should deliver high performance. With other versions that provide supersonic performance, this will make it survive against many air defenses in the air and on the ground.
For Turkey, a drone of this type can be a useful way to solve the growing problem of the "excess" of the military, Ankara was expelled from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and questions based on the proposed contract to buy other things. of the F-16. Meanwhile, without US support, the ability to deploy the TF-X stealth fighter in the current region is highly questionable. The purchase of a significant number of Kizilelma UCAV can reduce at least some of the demand, while preserving the aerial life of the existing species. However, at this point, one wonders how Baykar will be able to program the drone to perform air-to-air operations. Although this is clearly what the desire, it includes a level of flight control software, command and control movement and computing power can exceed Turkey, despite its achievements in the development of another ot ISR and strike drones. On the other hand, even if Kizilelma is limited, at least initially, to search and strike, its low cost may make it attractive for the Turkish military and other countries. again. For more dangerous tasks such as intercepting defenses or attacking heavily defended objectives, Kizilelma can be an excellent choice, especially in its other versions that promise to work as a fighter.
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