Turkey is pressing ahead with the development of its first unmanned stealth fighter aircraft and has reached another technological milestone with the Bayraktar Kizilelma. A Low-Observable Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) has been integrated into a UCAV for the first time. The Toygun system from the Aselsan defense company was previously reserved exclusively for modern fifth-generation fighter jets.
The Kizilelma program developed entirely from own funds by manufacturer Baykar is thus moving closer to operational maturity. The integration of the Toygun EOTS has been successfully completed and marks a significant step for the Turkish stealth UCAV.
In two flight tests at the Akinci Flight Training and Test Center in Çorlu, the system impressed with stable, high-resolution infrared imaging across various flight profiles, precise tracking of moving targets over long distances, reliable laser target illumination and interference-free data transmission to the mission computer. Even under adverse environmental conditions, the system performance remained constant. According to Baykar, all requirements for series integration have thus been met.
A key feature of the new system is its complete integration into the fuselage of the Kizilelma. Unlike classic fighter aircraft such as the F-16, which carry their targeting systems in external pods, Toygun was designed as an “internal mount” – a key technology for stealth aircraft, as it significantly reduces the radar signature and strengthens the stealth characteristics of the UCAV.
Toygun has also been specially adapted to the unmanned mission profile of the Kizilelma. The system offers an almost all-round situational awareness and combines high-resolution IR sensor technology for detecting air, ground and sea targets with AI-supported functions such as automatic target classification and optimized sensor fusion. This significantly improves the UCAV’s autonomous mission control.
The combination of stealth design and embedded EOTS significantly expands the Kizilelma’s operational spectrum. The aircraft can covertly reconnoitre, mark and engage targets with Turkish precision weapons without appearing on enemy sensors at an early stage. The Turkish stealth UCAV is thus moving technologically into a category that was previously reserved exclusively for the latest generation of manned jets.
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