The Turkish Baykar Kizilelma unmanned fighter reached a speed of 264 kn or 0.82 Mach during tests. This is a very important moment that brings the development closer to the capabilities of its manned counterparts.
The Baykar press service reported on passing this mark and published a corresponding video from the tests. It is quite likely that the "record" was set by the prototype equipped with a more powerful Ukrainian AI-322F engine instead of the AI-25TLT.
Read more: Unmanned Fighters Are Getting Closer: Kizilelma Systems with Ukrainian Engine to Reach Turkish Forces within Months
That is, in addition to the Turkish defense industry, this may also be an achievement for the Ukrainian industry, which was able to create an appropriate aircraft engine. Although, most likely, the production of this engine will take place at Turkish facilities with technology transfer, Ukrainian specialists have gained new experience and competencies in the development of aircraft engines, which can be applied in the future.
It should be noted that the previously announced maximum speed for this UAV is 0.9 Mach. Most likely, we will soon see the achievement of the planned characteristics, given the rather high pace of development of this UAV.
In December 2025, two Kizilelma prototypes made an autonomous flight in service, demonstrating the functionality for performing patrol missions. The Turks are also tested the use of various weapons.
It is worth recalling that Baykar plans to supply the first two UAVs to the Turkish armed forces in the first quarter of 2026. This will help both familiarize the military with the new system and identify potential shortcomings and "childhood diseases" of the new unmanned fighter.
As Defense Express reported earlier, Turkey proposed Bayraktar TB2/TB3 UAVs to country with just 3 Global Hawks, rented Sea Guardians.
Read more: Baykar's Kizilelma UAV "Intercepts" F-16 Fighter Fet for the First Time During Test Flight
