What happened: In a live-fire test off Sinop, Türkiye, the stealthy Kızılelma launched a Tübitak Sage Gökdoğan missile from its wing station and scored a direct hit on a jet-powered target drone.
- Five Turkish F-16s and one Akinci UCAV flew alongside, demonstrating real-world manned-unmanned teaming.
Dünyada ilk kez bir insansız savaş uçağı, görüş ötesi havadan havaya füze ile hedefini vurdu.
For the first time in the world, an unmanned combat aircraft struck its target with a BVR air-to-air missile.
Bayraktar #KIZILELMA ✈️🚀🍎
✅ GÖKDOĞAN Füzesi Atış Testi
✅ GÖKDOĞAN… pic.twitter.com/KCSxlaA2Hu— BAYKAR (@BaykarTech) November 30, 2025
What they’re saying: “Today we opened the door to a new era in aviation history,” said Selçuk Bayraktar, Baykar CTO and chairman.
- “For the first time, an unmanned combat aircraft successfully fired a radar-guided air-to-air missile and hit its target with perfect accuracy. Türkiye is the first country in the world to accomplish this.”
Between the lines: The Kızılelma’s world-first achievement significantly boosts the strategic value of the March 2025 Italy-Türkiye drone deal.
- The Baykar-Leonardo joint venture, aimed at co-producing advanced UAVs in both countries, suddenly looks far more attractive to Rome now that the Turkish platform has proven itself the global leader in jet-powered stealth combat drones.
Why it matters: Italian expertise in sensors and payloads paired with a freshly validated airframe strengthens both parties’ leverage in the €100 billion European market.
- LBA Systems, the planned Leonardo-Baykar Technologies joint venture, will build five uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs), including Kızılelma, at three Italian locations, Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani disclosed.
- The Grottaglie factory (in Apulian) will build the Kizilelma, supported by engineering centers in Rome and Turin.
- Cingolani presented the Italian firm’s third-quarter results on November 5 and outlined the industrial plan for the new business.
