Turkiye’s Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned fighter jets have completed the world’s first fully autonomous close-formation flight by jet-powered combat aircraft, Baykar announced on December 28, 2025. This milestone underscores a new level of autonomous capability for unmanned combat aircraft and advances Turkeys role in next-generation aerial warfare.
The test was conducted at the Akinci Flight Training and Test Center in Corlu, northwestern Turkiye. Two Kizilelma prototypes, designated PT3 and PT5, took off in sequence and, once airborne, executed synchronized maneuvers while maintaining close formation without any human input. The flight used smart fleet autonomy algorithms developed by Baykar’s engineering team.
According to Baykar, this is the first time unmanned fighter-class aircraft have flown in close formation autonomously, a role that has traditionally required highly trained human pilots and complex coordination.
Autonomous Combat Patrol Tested
In addition to formation flying, the Kizilelma jets carried out a Combat Air Patrol mission along a pre-defined route using fleet autonomy software. This demonstrated the system’s potential for autonomous air defence tasks that are core elements of modern air combat operations.
Baykar executives described the achievement as a world first, noting the development of indigenous autonomy capabilities. The company has previously highlighted export agreements for its unmanned systems, including TB2 and Akinci models.
Strategic and Industry Context
The Kizilelma program represents a shift in unmanned combat aviation. Unlike traditional ISR or light strike drones, Kizilelma is designed for contested airspace roles, including air-to-air engagements and joint operations with manned aircraft.
In a recent related milestone, Kizilelma was reported to have achieved a verified beyond-visual-range air-to-air kill using a domestically developed Gokdogan missile and an Aselsan AESA radar during tests over the Black Sea.
The ability to fly formation autonomously could support future scaling of unmanned fleets in combat roles and reduce reliance on direct human pilot control, aligning with global trends toward autonomous and AI-driven systems in defense aviation.
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