Star of combat drones on the Ukrainian battlefields, the firm Bayraktar returns with the stealth model Kizilelma, powered by a turbojet. The drone is even powered by Ukrainians. The prototype of the aircraft has just been presented at an air show in Turkey.
The war in Ukraine demonstrated the importance of using drones. Among them is the famous Bayraktar TB2 whose praises have even been sung by Ukrainian propaganda. Its little brother the Mini-Bayraktar, specialized in observation, is also present above the battlefields. Let’s hope that this war is over before the arrival of the latest installment from the trick builder Bayrak, with the Bayraktar Kizilelma. The second prototype of this drone has just been presented for the first time at Teknofest Black Sea, an air show currently being held in Turkey.
With this drone, the firm is making a radical change in category. The aircraft, which should make its maiden flight in early 2023, will be stealthy and equipped with a turbojet engine that can push it to nearly 980 km / h in cruise at more than 12,000 meters above sea level with a peak at Mach 1. , the drone is reminiscent of the lines of the famous American F-35, with two vertical stabilizers and two canard planes at the front. Its autonomy will be less than the TB2, since instead of 24 hours of endurance, it will be limited to 5 hours.
A supersonic stealth drone
With its velocity, its use remains different and the aircraft will be able to evolve with the capabilities of a fighter aircraft, while remaining stealthy. The firm explains that the aircraft will be equipped with “aggressive” maneuverability to be able to autonomously carry out avoidance maneuvers or close combat thanks to its on-board AI. In other words, on paper, he would be able to face a fighter plane. It can also be used as a wingman of a manned combat aircraft. Even if the choice of engine had been taken before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is a Ukrainian turbojet engine that will propel the drone. It will be the Ivchenko-Progress AI-25, a Soviet-designed reactor that still powers the Czechoslovak Aero L-39 Albatros trainer.
The Bayraktar Kizilelma will be able to carry up to 1.5 tons of ammunition and payload. Its maximum mass will be 3.5 tons, so this drone promises to be more massive than an MQ-9 Reaper. It will be able to carry air-to-air, air-to-ground missiles and cruise missiles, with the possibility of placing them in the hold to maintain its stealth.
Another particularity, the drone will be able to take off and land on an aircraft carrier, without requiring a catapult. The first flight of the prototype dubbed MİUS will fly at close to the speed of sound, but the next models will be supersonic.