Developed by Baykar with its own resources, the indigenous and original unmanned combat aircraft Bayraktar KIZILELMA achieved several firsts in aviation history by completing formation flights with manned combat aircraft at TEKNOFEST 2023.

A TURNING POINT
Having conducted a close formation flight for the first time on 24 April during tests in Çorlu, a first in the history of aviation, Bayraktar KIZILELMA and Bayraktar AKINCI achieved yet another first at TEKNOFEST 2023. The unmanned combat aircraft KIZILELMA and the unmanned aircraft AKINCI conducted the same breathtaking flight over Istanbul in front of spectators.

FIRST FLIGHT IN PUBLIC
TEKNOFEST, the world’s largest aerospace and technology festival, took place at Atatürk Airport and set the stage for many firsts – including that significant flight. Another first achieved by the Bayraktar KIZILELMA was to conduct multiple close formation flights with SoloTürk, a manned jet plane, during a public air show. Throughout TEKNOFEST 2023, the Bayraktar KIZILELMA conducted close formation flights with the Bayraktar AKINCI and SoloTürk on a daily basis to win recognition from spectators.

FLEW LIKE A FLEET
On 1 May –TEKNOFEST 2023’s final day– the unmanned combat aircraft Bayraktar KIZILELMA, the F-16 fighter jet SoloTürk and a group of F-5 jets, the Turkish Stars, completed an unprecedented demonstration by conducting a formation flight like a fleet. Those flight concepts, which might be described as the dawn of a new era in the history of global aviation, will shape the air combat of the future.

AIR COMBAT OF THE FUTURE
Türkiye’s first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, achieved a first globally by conducting a formation flight with SoloTürk and the Turkish Stars to offer a glimpse into the air combat of the future. Baykar’s high-tech unmanned platforms thus displayed their compatibility with manned combat aircraft and their role as a deterrent in Turkish skies yet again.