Production Prototype of Turkey’s Kizilelma UCAV Makes Maiden Flight With New Engine and Sensors | Aviation

The third prototype of Kizilelma is also the production prototype, which shows a number of changes, including an afterburning engine, structural differences and aerodynamic improvements for higher performance.

The production prototype of Turkey’s Kizilelma Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) flew its first, short flight on Sep. 25, 2024 from Corlu, the company announced. This design turned out to be a configuration The Aviationist had reported on Jul. 11, which was seen during a diplomatic visit by a delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to Baykar’s facility.

The new prototype, the third overall and bearing the tail number TC-ÖZB3, showed “significant structural and airframe differences” from the original one, according to the company. The original Kizilelma first flew on Dec. 14, 2022 with the first prototype TC-OZB.

“The third prototype, which is the production prototype of Bayraktar Kızılelma, successfully completed its first flight today,” said the firm’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Selçuk Bayraktar. “It was a short test flight. Our tests will continue from now on.”

The design differences noted in The Aviationist’s report were also seen, with the new photos and flight video from various angles shedding even more light on the significant changes in appearance – and possibly even performance capabilities.

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