The Turkish Kizilelma supersonic drone could give the US F-35 stealth fighter a run for its money.
US F-35 Stealth Fighter Could Be Outperformed
Selcuk Bayraktar, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Turkey's popular drone manufacturer Baykar Makina, claimed in an interview that Turkey's Kizilelma unmanned fighter would outcompete the American F-35 and that will pose a difficulty to fifth-generation classical aviation, reported The EurAsian Times.
The declaration has been heavily publicized in the Russian media. Bayraktar announced that they intend to construct a supersonic drone fighter that will transform aviation by being able to fight conventional planes. After the initial flight of the UAV, it isn't similar to other aircraft; however, when ready, it may overcome the F-35.
The Kizilelma is a fifth-generation unmanned plane, like the F-35, but is controlled remotely, per Daily Sabah.
It is worth noting that Turkey conducted the first flight of the brand-new Kizilelma on December 14. This is the drone's first flight as an unmanned jet fighter. Turkey has joined the unmanned fighter aircraft market, heralding the future of aerial combat.
Turkish Kizilelma supersonic drone is a step up after getting kicked out of the US 5th generation program. Selcuk Bayraktar's declaration is evocative in that Turkey had been an initial member of the F-35 program and made a significant financial contribution to the airplane's advancement, which was intended to buy 100 F-35A models.
Regrettably, a choice by Ankara to acquire the Russian S-400 air defense system provoked concerns that Russian systems would be used to obtain information about the fighter aircraft for Moscow. Turkey, thereby, has been ejected.
It could be essential to note that Turkey had already alerted on many occasions that it stayed engaged in discussions with the United States for resurrecting the F-35 agreement. But a year ago, the House Armed Services Committee chairman said Turkey was still not returning to the consortium.
The confirmation laid to rest all speculations regarding inviting Turkey back into the F-35 program, which, some suspected, would inspire the NATO country to accept Sweden and Finland's entry into the coalition, citing Breaking Defense.
Turkish engineers are actively working on the TF-X, a fifth-generation fighter jet that will soon replace Turkey's fleet of aging F-16s. On January 8, the Turkish Defense Agency published a picture of the technology demonstrator that is planned to become official in March of this year.
Consequently, Selcuk Bayraktar's contrast of an unpiloted next-generation aircraft with a fully manned fifth-generation aircraft, such as the F-35, is fascinating.
5th Generation Drone Versus F-35 Fighter
The National Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle System (MIUS), also known as Kizilelma (Red Apple), is a significant and tactical endeavor by Baykar, a company whose combat UAVs have already gotten a lot of attention around the world.
Drones like the TB2 have already proven their combat capabilities in conflicts in Ukraine and Azerbaijan, generating interest in the upcoming Kizilelma.
The maker anticipates the unpiloted fighter plane to perform a wide range of combat operations, such as close air support (CAS), missile assault, inhibition of adversary air defenses, and obliteration of enemy air defenses.
Before getting ejected from the Joint Strike Fighter program, the TCG Anadolu was supposed to have B variants of the US F-35 stealth fighter. But the Turkish Kizilelma supersonic drone is still a project that could be a game changer.
Related Article: India, France Reach Defense Deal
