Turkish Baykar Kızılelma — an unmanned fighter, set to be produced in Ukraine — is being considered as a support drone (loyal wingman) for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), creating the Tempest sixth-generation fighter jet. Kızılelma was proposed as option by Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget.
Among other offers under discussion, mentioned by Cingolani, were unmanned versions of the Italian M-345 and M-346 trainer and light combat aircraft. The Turkish UAV, however, had a key advantage over these alternatives: Kızılelma was from the very beginning designed as an unmanned fighter incorporating stealth technologies.
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The GCAP project is being pursued jointly by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy. It is aimed at creating a sixth-generation fighter for all these countries to use, provisionally named Tempest. But also, one of the goals of the program is to provide the fighter with escort drones to complement its advanced capabilities.
Among the tasks a companion drone must perform are enemy air defense suppression and engaging targets — possibly even airborne — with jamming and strikes. Such capabilities aboard unmanned aerial vehicles are the next step in modern fighter development.
As for Kızılelma, it was deemed the most well-adapted to the role of Tempest's loyal wingman among the mentioned proposals. The drone was originally created as an unmanned stealth fighter, designed to operate both independently and in tandem with the Turkish 5th-generation fighter KAAN.
Baykar is already conducting tests of its product; it will then be equipped with air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons for a wide range of operational scenarios. In contrast, the M-345 and M-346 are yet to be converted into uncrewed vehicles, they will most likely exclude air combat capability, with tasks limited to supporting the main aircraft.
The selection of Kızılelma may further evolve into the establishment of a joint venture between the Turkish Baykar and the Italian Leonardo, solidifying the cooperation from the formal perspective.
However, from a strategic and political point of view, such a choice by Italians raises questions. Basically, they invite Turkiye into even greater integration with the European defense industry and into NATO in general, which not all countries were previously particularly supportive of.
For now, the only thing certain is that Kızılelma has an interesting future on the horizon. The project has progressed to its fourth prototype, equipped with a Ukrainian engine. Moreover, the UAV will be armed with close- and medium-range air-to-air missiles, enabling cost-efficient downing of enemy drones, e.g. Shahed-136 and the like.
It is also worth recalling that Baykar is building a factory in Ukraine, where the Turkish company plans to produce Kızılelma unmanned fighter jets, among other articles. In other words, if this UAV enters the GCAP program, Ukraine may become part of the effort, although indirectly. The involvement of a Ukrainian engine is a major factor, too.
As for the Global Combat Air Programme in general, although it's doing better than the similar German-French initiative, it still has problems. For example, Italy criticized partners for not wanting to share their technological developments.
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