After TB2 and Akinci, Baykar Readies to Wow the World with Kızılelma

Our Bureau - : Oct 21, 2024 - : 5:24 pm

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It is known the world over for the Bayraktar TB2, the unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that has been sold to more countries than any other drone and even inspired a Ukrainian folk song, but Turkish defence company Baykar is now onto something bigger, even revolutionary.

Even as it increases production of the TB2 and Akinci drones to keep up with soaring demand from countries – export agreements for the TB2 have been signed with 34 countries while the bigger and newer Akinci has already earned 10 international customers - the company is currently developing the Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned fighter jet, Türkiye’s first indigenously developed jet of the type. the third production prototype of the unmanned combat jet successfully conducted its first flight in September.

According to the company, Kızılelma is capable of carrying 1,500 kilograms of payload and can operate in the air for five hours. It will take off and land on short-runway aircraft carriers, and carry out missions with internally-carried munitions. The unmanned fighter jet has a maximum speed of 900 km/h while the combat radius is 500 nm. According to Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, the company, which has allocated US$1 billion to the project, plans to build at least twelve Kızılelma drones this year and increase the number significantly in the next few years. Serial production is expected in 2025. The drone is scheduled to commence flight tests from TCG Anadolu, Türkiye’s largest warship, next year.

Legendary Status

Baykar generates more than 90 percent of its revenue through export deals. The company’s revenue from exports in 2023 was US$1.77 billion, out of the Turkish defence industry’s total exports worth a record-high US$5.5 billion. Comfortably Türkiye’s leading defence and aerospace exporter for the last three years, Baykar created history in 2023 by becoming the first defence and aerospace company to be among the country’s top 10 exporters across all sectors.

As is to be expected, the TB2 was the largest revenue earner, with the company seeing interest in the drone not just from established defence markets such as the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Central Asia but also newer markets such as Latin America. This year alone, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Malaysia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina have either signed a deal for the drone or expressed interest.

International interest in the drone has soared following its starring role in many recent or ongoing conflicts. So successful was Ukraine in using the TB2 against Russian tanks and military installations during the early days of the ongoing conflict that the military drone has a whole folk song – aptly named Bayraktar – dedicated to it. The UCAV, which can conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and armed attack missions, is capable of fully autonomous taxiing, take-off, landing and cruise. The drone has a maximum endurance of more than 24 hours.

“It is the most popular combat UAV in the world; it is a rockstar,” a company official told GBP Aerospace & Defence at DIMDEX 2024, earlier this year. “It is combat proven and cost effective. Until now, we have sold almost 600 TB2 drones to 34 countries.”

The Tactical Armed / UAV System consists of Bayraktar TB2 Armed / UAV Platform, Ground Control Station, Ground Data Terminal, Remote Display Terminal, Advanced Base with Generator and Trailer modules. Cashing in on the surging international interest for TB2, Baykar announced in 2022 that it intends to set up a manufacturing plant in Ukraine for the TB2. In February this year, the company announced that construction of the facility had commenced and would finish in 12 months. The factory, near Kyiv, is expected to employ around 500 people.

“There are many military drones in the market, but it is hard to find one that can match TB2’s track record of being combat proven in all regions and in different types of weather conditions,” the official added. “Apart from Ukraine, the drone has been successfully used in places like Syria, Azerbaijan, and Libya. The TB2 has a maximum endurance of over 24 hours. Its diesel engine uses only 10 litres per hour.”
One of the standout features of the TB2 is that all its avionics are produced in-house. The ammunition for the drone is supplied by fellow Turkish companies.

Akinci Makes History

However, it is not the TB2 but the Akinci, which entered service with the Turkish armed forces on August 2021, that has fetched the company its biggest order in terms of size. In August last year, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed an US$3 billion agreement by which Baykar would produce the Akinci in Saudi Arabia, while Aselsan and Roketsan would localize production of the drone’s sensors and weapons. Akinci UAVs, which can be used in air-to-ground and air-to-air attack missions, will be operated by both the Royal Saudi Air Force and Royal Saudi Navy.

Among the drone’s other international customers is Azerbaijan; in February this year, Baykar inaugurated a training facility and maintenance hangar for its Akinci. In March, the company announced that it would integrate Roketsan MAM-L and MAM-T guided bombs onto the combat drone.

Get Ready for TB3

The Turkish defence giant expects to commence full mass production of the Bayraktar TB3 drone, an UCAV that is designed to operate from short-runway aircraft carriers, such as the TCG Anadolu, this year. Besides reconnaissance/surveillance and intelligence missions, the TB3 can launch an assault operation with smart munitions stationed under its wings. The drone, which has foldable wings that enable use on aircraft carriers, can be operated from remote distances thanks to its Line-Of-Sight and Beyond-Line-Of-Sight communications capabilities.

The TB3's first flight took place on October 27 last year and signalling its intent to woo the international market with the drone, Baykar showcased it earlier this year at the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) in the UAE. In May this year, the TB3 – which has a length of 8.35 meters and a wingspan of 14 meters - set a new altitude record by reaching 33,000 feet during a high-altitude performance test. The drone was powered by the domestically developed PD-170 engine produced by TUSAS Engine Industries Inc. (TEI).

Considerably larger than the TB2, the TB3 has a maximum take-off weight of 1,450 kilograms, compared to the TB2’s 700 kilograms. The UCAV has a payload capacity of up to 280 kilograms and is capable of a maximum speed of 160 knots (300 km/h) and a cruise speed of 125 knots (232 km/h). The TB3, which has an operational range of 1,000 knots (1,900 km), is equipped with six hardpoints for various laser-guided munitions and features advanced avionics.

In April last year, Baykar unveiled the Kemankes (Kagem) kamikaze drone, with an operational range of over 200 km, for use against strategic targets. The winged loitering munition, which can be deployed by drones such as the Akinci and TB2, is capable of flying at least an hour in the air and is fitting with a turbojet engine. The kamikaze drone, which can carry a payload of 6 kilograms and has a laser rangefinder with a range of 2.8 kilometres, can also perform an autonomous flight.