The unmanned fighter jet Baykar Kızılelma is conducting final tests before the first flight.
Baykar Kızılelma on a runway. For now, it is doing ground runs.
These tests may look like leisure rides on a runway, but they are actually necessary before Baykar Kızılelma, a full-fledged unmanned fighter jet, will be able to embark on its first flight.
The developer is now conducting verification runs to check the performance of the plane’s engine while it is located on the ground. During these tests, the operation of the engine in dynamics, the effect of vibration while driving on the runway, the transition to various operating modes, and other aspects of the machine’s operation are checked.
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Posted by Baykar on Sunday, November 20, 2022
The take-off procedure is planned for the near future. In the next stage, before the actual flight, Kızılelma UAV will be driven up to its take-off velocity. If everything proceeds as planned, the new unmanned fighter jet will receive a green light for the flight test, which is currently scheduled for 2023.
Kızılelma UAV attracts a lot of attention because it uses an AI-25TLT turbojet engine from the Ukrainian company Motor Sich. With this engine, the drone should be able to reach speeds of up to 800 km/h (500mph).
The plane should be able to stay in the air for 5 hours, and its maximum operational altitude is up to 12 km. Kızılelma will be able to carry a combat load of about 1 ton.