F-16 Fighter Jet Outmatched By Türkiye’s Kizilelma Drone In Successful Unmanned Air Combat Test

Türkiye’s Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned fighter has electronically “shot down” an F-16 during a test over northwestern Türkiye, using the indigenous MURAD AESA radar to cue a Gokdogan beyond visual range air-to-air missile. The trial confirms a fully national radar-to-missile kill chain on an unmanned jet, a major step toward autonomous air superiority and manned-unmanned teaming in Turkish airpower.

On 20 November 2025, Türkiye’s first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar KIZILELMA, carried out a landmark air trial by electronically “shooting down” an F-16 Fighter Jet using national systems, as announced by Baykar Technologies. During a test mission over northwestern Türkiye, the jet-powered drone detected, tracked and simulated an engagement against the F-16 with the GÖKDOĞAN beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile cued by ASELSAN’s MURAD active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The demonstration marks the first time a Turkish unmanned platform has scored a simulated kill on a frontline fighter using a fully indigenous radar–missile chain, opening a new era in which unmanned fighters can assume roles traditionally reserved for manned aircraft. This step is highly relevant for Türkiye’s evolving airpower posture, signalling a shift toward autonomous air superiority and manned–unmanned teaming at a time when advanced air combat capabilities are central to deterrence and national defence.

During the November 20, 2025, trial in northwestern Türkiye, the Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned combat aircraft electronically “shot down” an F-16 by detecting, tracking and simulating a Gökdoğan beyond visual range missile engagement using the indigenous MURAD AESA radar (Picture Source: Baykar / Army Recognition Group)

Bayraktar KIZILELMA took off from the AKINCI Flight Training and Test Center in Tekirdağ’s Çorlu district and remained airborne for 1 hour 45 minutes at around 4,500 metres, flying in close formation with Turkish Air Force F-16s to rehearse complex air combat manoeuvres. During the key phase of the test, the UCAV used ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar to detect the F-16 target at 48 kilometres (30 miles), establish a stable track and transfer real-time position and velocity data via a secure data link to the GÖKDOĞAN missile carried under its wing. The engagement was conducted electronically, with KIZILELMA scoring a simulated direct hit while maintaining formation with the manned fighter, demonstrating that the unmanned platform can execute a realistic beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air engagement profile. With this sortie, KIZILELMA’s cumulative flight time surpassed 55 hours, confirming that the test campaign has moved from basic flight envelope expansion to integrated combat systems evaluation. Baykar shared footage of the F-16 formation flight, the GÖKDOĞAN munition-linked flight and the combined EOTS–MURAD radar performance test on its social media channels over several days, underlining the step-by-step approach that led to this final simulated kill scenario.

The trial integrated several critical indigenous defense systems into a cohesive “system-of-systems” demonstration. KIZILELMA is a low-observable unmanned fighter capable of carrier operations, powered by a turbofan engine. It has a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 8.5 tonnes, a payload capacity of 1.5 tonnes, a combat radius near 500 nautical miles, and a top speed close to Mach 0.9. The production prototypes are equipped with ASELSAN’s MURAD 100-A fire-control radar and the TOYGUN low-observable electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), which delivers multi-spectral sensing, enhanced situational awareness, and precise weapon cueing while maintaining the platform’s stealth characteristics. The GÖKDOĞAN missile, developed under TÜBİTAK SAGE’s GÖKTUĞ program, is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile akin to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, featuring a solid-fuel rocket motor, active radar seeker, a range exceeding 65 kilometers, and lock-on-after-launch capability with mid-course updates via data link. In the recent test, the missile was carried captive on KIZILELMA’s wing but fully integrated into the radar and data link chain, validating the UCAV’s capability to guide national air-to-air weapons in real BVR engagements when authorized. Meanwhile, the manned element, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, remains the backbone of the Turkish Air Force and in this scenario operated within a broader, networked strike and air superiority architecture, exemplifying manned-unmanned teaming in modern warfare.

Strategically, the simulated defeat of an F‑16 by an unmanned platform marks a significant evolution in Türkiye’s air combat doctrine. For decades, air superiority relied primarily on piloted fighters equipped with legacy sensors and imported missile systems. The latest KIZILELMA trial demonstrates that future Turkish air operations can be structured around a layered force, combining manned aircraft such as the F‑16 and the forthcoming TF Kaan with autonomous “loyal wingman” UCAVs capable of detection, tracking, and engagement against high‑speed aerial threats. This milestone follows only weeks after a Turkish F‑16 employed the same MURAD AESA radar and GÖKDOĞAN missile to destroy a target drone in live fire, confirming that the indigenous radar‑to‑missile kill chain is now fully operational across both manned and unmanned platforms. The convergence of these capabilities enables distributed air combat concepts in which unmanned fighters assume the most hazardous missions, such as suppressing forward air defenses or penetrating contested airspace, while manned aircraft coordinate from safer positions. For Türkiye, which has invested heavily in its National Technology Initiative to reduce reliance on foreign systems, this interoperability among the F‑16, Kaan, AKINCI, and KIZILELMA around common radar and missile families represents a cornerstone in building a sovereign, adaptable, and upgradeable air combat architecture.

The geopolitical and geostrategic implications go beyond a single test sortie. By demonstrating that a domestically designed unmanned fighter can lock onto and “kill” a fourth-generation fighter in a BVR scenario using national sensors and munitions, Türkiye positions itself among a very small group of states pursuing operational unmanned air superiority platforms, alongside programmes such as the U.S. collaborative combat aircraft and Australia’s Ghost Bat. This is particularly significant given Türkiye’s earlier exclusion from the F-35 programme, which accelerated Ankara’s push to field indigenous alternatives across both manned and unmanned segments. The ability to export a UCAV that not only delivers precision strikes against ground targets but also conducts air-to-air missions with sovereign missiles will reinforce Türkiye’s status as a defence exporter to regions such as the Middle East, Central Asia and possibly Europe, where air forces are looking for cost-effective force multipliers. At the regional level, an operational KIZILELMA equipped with GÖKDOĞAN and MURAD would complicate the air planning of neighbouring states, adding an unpredictable unmanned component to airspace control and air defence suppression operations around the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea.

From an industrial standpoint, the test validates Türkiye’s defense technology ecosystem, with Baykar accelerating KIZILELMA from late‑2022 ground trials to complex flights including formation operations with F‑16s and public demonstrations at TEKNOFEST. ASELSAN’s MURAD AESA radar, first integrated on Bayraktar AKINCI and upgraded F‑16s, has proven adaptable on a jet‑powered unmanned fighter, delivering multi‑target detection, concurrent air‑to‑air and air‑to‑ground modes, and BVR missile cueing, while the TOYGUN EOTS has demonstrated passive tracking and laser designation without external pods that could compromise low observability on platforms like TF Kaan and KIZILELMA. On the effector side, TÜBİTAK SAGE’s GÖKTUĞ missile family has progressed from captive‑carry evaluations to live F‑16 firings and now full digital integration with an unmanned jet. Collectively, these programs indicate Türkiye is transitioning from discrete products to an integrated, export‑ready combat system spanning sensors, effectors, and platforms.

The simulated engagement in which Baykar’s KIZILELMA locked onto and virtually neutralized an F-16 fighter jet with the GÖKDOĞAN missile represents a pivotal advancement in Türkiye’s approach to air superiority. This demonstration transitions air dominance from traditional manned cockpits to a networked system of autonomous, sovereignly controlled platforms. As unmanned combat aircraft increasingly gain the capacity to detect, assess, and engage targets at extended ranges alongside manned fighters, the aerial battlefield is entering a transformative era. In this new paradigm, the decisive “pilot” may well be an algorithm guided by national sensors and weapons systems rather than a human operator. This latest test underscores Türkiye’s commitment to shaping the future of air warfare, positioning itself among the leading nations pioneering unmanned air combat capabilities.