Türkiye’s first-ever unmanned fighter aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, has achieved yet another world first. The Low-Observable Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) TOYGUN, developed with indigenous resources and found only on the most advanced fifth-generation fighter jets, has been successfully integrated into an unmanned fighter aircraft for the first time in the world.

TEKİRDAĞ / ÇORLU 
17 NOVEMBER 2025

Developed indigenously and originally by Baykar entirely with its own resources, Bayraktar KIZILELMA has successfully tested another critical capability that will carry Türkiye into a new league in aviation. As the development process of the indigenous unmanned fighter progresses as planned, integration of the TOYGUN Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS)—developed indigenously by ASELSAN—has been successfully completed on the platform. TOYGUN, ASELSAN’s most advanced product in the infrared (IR) band, will provide Bayraktar KIZILELMA with major operational advantages.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN FLIGHT TESTS
The system demonstrated outstanding performance during two separate flight tests conducted within the last week at the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu. The tests successfully validated stable image generation at various altitude and speed regimes, long-range tracking stability on moving targets, and high-accuracy laser designation functions. It was confirmed that the system maintained seamless data exchange with KIZILELMA’s integrated mission computer and preserved its performance even under demanding environmental conditions. The results also showed that all technical criteria required to proceed with serial integration have been fully met.

A WORLD FIRST: EMBEDDED EOTS ON AN UNMANNED FIGHTER 
This test marks the first time globally that “embedded EOTS” technology has been implemented on an unmanned fighter aircraft. While platforms like the F-16 carry targeting systems as external pods, concealing this system inside Bayraktar KIZILELMA’s airframe is critical for its low radar cross-section (low observability) capability. TOYGUN enables Bayraktar KIZILELMA to perform advanced targeting while preserving this strategic advantage.

A CAPABILITY FOUND ONLY ON 5TH-GENERATION AIRCRAFT LIKE THE F-35
This advanced electro-optical targeting system, concealed within the airframe, currently exists on manned aircraft only on fifth-generation platforms such as the U.S.-made F-35. With the successful integration of this technology onto Bayraktar KIZILELMA, Türkiye has become one of only three countries in the world to possess this critical capability.

AI-ENABLED NEXT-GENERATION CAPABILITIES 
Developed with a specialized engineering approach tailored for Bayraktar KIZILELMA, TOYGUN includes optimizations unique to the unmanned combat aircraft concept. The system offers wide-spectrum scanning capabilities contributing to 360° situational awareness. Its high-resolution IR imaging enables the detection of strategic targets and moving ground/sea elements from long distances. Moreover, AI-supported target tracking and automatic target classification algorithms enhance Bayraktar KIZILELMA’s autonomous mission performance.

CAPABLE OF STRIKING WITHOUT BEING DETECTED
Thanks to this capability, Bayraktar KIZILELMA will be able to penetrate hostile airspace without compromising its low-observable profile. It will detect targets without being caught by radar, designate them with laser guidance, and neutralize them using indigenous munitions.

EXPORT LEADER 
Baykar has carried out all its projects with its own resources from the outset. Since beginning its UAV R&D activities in 2003, 83% of all its revenues have come from exports. In 2023, Baykar achieved exports worth $1.8 billion, placing it among Türkiye’s top 10 exporting companies across all industries. As the world’s largest exporter of unmanned aerial vehicles, Baykar continued its global success in 2024 as well, generating 90% of its revenues from exports and once again achieving $1.8 billion in export sales.

BAYKAR: THE WORLD’S LARGEST UAV COMPANY 
Ranking among Türkiye’s top 10 exporters across all sectors in 2023 and 2024—and receiving the “Champions of Export” Award—Baykar has been the export leader of the defense and aerospace sector in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, according to data from the Defense Industry Agency (SSB) and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM). Baykar accounted for one-third of the entire sector’s exports in 2023, and one-quarter in 2024, making Türkiye the global leader in UAV exports. Baykar, the world’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle company, has signed export agreements with 37 countries to date — 36 countries for the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV and 16 countries for the Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV.