Indonesia to receive up to 60 Kizilelma unmanned fighters from Türkiye in first export sale.

Indonesia is set to become the first export customer for Türkiye’s Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned fighter after Baykar signed an agreement on May 6, 2026, during SAHA 2026 covering an initial batch of 12 aircraft with options for up to 48 more units, for a total of 60 UCAVs. The deal, confirmed by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, gives Jakarta early access to a new class of autonomous combat aircraft designed for strike and air-to-air missions, significantly expanding Indonesia’s long-range deterrence and future manned-unmanned teaming capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

The agreement goes beyond aircraft deliveries by establishing local production, maintenance, integration, and training infrastructure inside Indonesia, tying the Kizilelma program to broader Turkish-Indonesian cooperation on Kaan fighters, missiles, sensors, and autonomous warfare systems. Equipped with AESA radar, internal weapons bays, and planned beyond-visual-range combat capability, the Kizilelma reflects the growing shift toward AI-supported “loyal wingman” operations and distributed autonomous air combat concepts that could reshape regional airpower competition.

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Baykar signed the first export deal for the Kizilelma with Indonesia, supplying 12 combat drones starting in 2028, with options for 48 additional units, which could raise the total order to 60 UCAVs. (Picture source: Baykar)

On May 6, 2026, the Turkish company Baykar signed an agreement with Republikorp subsidiary PT Republik Aero Dirgantara during the SAHA 2026 exhibition for the export of 12 Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned combat aircraft to Indonesia, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2028. Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar stated that the agreement also includes options for four additional squadrons totaling 48 drones, potentially increasing Indonesian procurement to 60 UCAVs. The contract became the first export agreement announced for the Kizilelma since the aircraft’s maiden flight on December 14, 2022.

The framework also covers local production capability, technology transfer, maintenance and overhaul infrastructure, integration centers, workforce training, and technical certification activities inside Indonesia. The agreement was signed while Türkiye and Indonesia simultaneously expanded cooperation involving Aselsan systems, Kaan fighter cooperation with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), and broader Indonesian industrial participation programs. The industrial package attached to the Kizilelma agreement extends a relationship between Baykar and Indonesia already expanded in February 2025 through a joint venture covering local Bayraktar TB3 and Akinci production inside Indonesia.

Under the newer arrangement, Indonesian facilities are expected to support local integration, MRO activity, production infrastructure, aerospace workforce development, and future autonomous systems research tied to Kizilelma operations. Republikorp simultaneously expanded cooperation with Turkish, Emirati, Qatari, and South Korean defense firms across missile manufacturing, secure communications, intelligence systems, and aerospace sustainment projects. In July 2025, Republikorp-linked entities signed a joint venture with Roketsan covering the gradual local production of Çakir, Atmaca, Hisar, and Sungur missile systems.

PT Republik Aero Dirgantara also reportedly became associated with future Kaan fighter maintenance, simulator, and support infrastructure after Indonesia agreed in July 2025 to acquire 48 Kaan fighters from TUSAŞ. The Kizilelma originated from Baykar’s MIUS (Muharip İnsansız Uçak Sistemi) program, initiated in 2013 as a jet-powered autonomous combat aircraft intended for strike, interdiction, suppression, and air combat missions in defended airspace. Baykar publicly disclosed the project in July 2021 after several years of internal development, while company expenditures associated with the aircraft were later estimated at $1 billion.

The first prototype entered assembly in March 2022, engine integration tests began on September 19, 2022, and the Kizilelma completed its maiden flight on December 14, 2022, nearly one year ahead of Baykar’s projected timeline. The drone subsequently became the first Turkish-developed jet-powered UCAV to fly successfully, positioning Türkiye between traditional MALE UAV development and future loyal wingman concepts. Indonesia’s acquisition, therefore, represents an export commitment signed while the aircraft is still progressing through operational integration and low-rate production phases rather than full-scale mature deployment, demonstrating its potential. 

The Kizilelma's flight test campaign focused heavily on validating autonomous control systems, high-speed handling characteristics, and manned-unmanned coordination concepts rather than endurance demonstrations typical of earlier drone programs. During April 2023, the Kizilelma completed landing gear retraction trials, maneuver evaluations, and high-speed taxi tests before conducting a formation flight with a Turkish Air Force F-16 during Teknofest 2023 on April 30. On June 17, 2023, Baykar announced the Kizilelma had reached 9.5 km altitude during its twelfth test flight, while continuing expansion of the flight envelope.

The third prototype, the TC-ÖZB3, completed its first flight on September 25, 2024, and introduced revised avionics architecture, aerodynamic refinements, structural redesign, and integration of an afterburning engine for later production standards. On December 17, 2025, two Kizilelmas also completed autonomous close-formation flight simultaneously, marking the first known fighter-class UCAV formation flight conducted without onboard pilots. The Kizilelma’s airframe configuration differs substantially from Baykar’s earlier propeller-driven drones, such as the Akinci of the TB3.

The Kizilelma uses a blended low-observable fuselage combined with canard-delta aerodynamics, twin outward-canted vertical stabilizers, and side-mounted engine intakes to reduce frontal radar signature while maintaining high-angle maneuver performance. Baykar created internal weapons bays to preserve lower observability during strike or air combat operations, although the drone can additionally carry external stores through six wing hardpoints and two internal stations. This jet-powered combat drone measures 14.5 m in length, 10 m in wingspan, and 3.5 m in height, for a maximum takeoff weight of 8,500 kg with an internal payload capacity of 1,500 kg.

Unlike many jet-powered UCAV concepts designed exclusively for runway operations, the Kizilelma was engineered for operations from the Turkish Navy’s TCG Anadolu without catapult launch systems. The propulsion roadmap remains heavily dependent on Ukrainian engines supplied by Ivchenko-Progress, creating one of the program’s primary external dependencies. Early Kizilelma-A drones use the AI-25TLT turbofan and remain subsonic, while future variants are intended to incorporate the AI-322F afterburning turbofan to support near-supersonic or supersonic performance.

Baykar identified at least three variants, including Kizilelma-A, Kizilelma-B, and the twin-engine Kizilelma-C. The B configuration is expected to use a single AI-322F engine and approach Mach 1 performance, while the C variant would employ twin AI-322F engines to increase thrust margins and payload capacity. Baykar simultaneously indicated the company aims to reduce foreign propulsion dependence within five to six years, although no fully indigenous replacement engine has yet entered flight testing for the Kizilelma. 

The combat systems architecture centers on integration of the Aselsan Murad AESA radar together with the Karat infrared search-and-track suite, Toygun electro-optical targeting system, distributed aperture sensors, and missile-approach warning systems (MAWSs) for autonomous engagement operations. Baykar consistently emphasized beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat capability as a core objective, particularly through the integration of Turkish-made air-to-air missiles. On November 30, 2025, the Kizilelma completed a major BVR firing campaign during which it electronically intercepted an F-16 using onboard radar and autonomous engagement-management functions.

The Kizilelma is intended to conduct interdiction, suppression, escort, and autonomous air-combat missions while operating in coordinated “smart fleet” formations involving multiple autonomous aircraft linked through artificial intelligence-supported mission coordination. Indonesia’s acquisition, therefore, provides Jakarta not only with a UCAV procurement program but also with access to Türkiye's operational concepts centered on distributed autonomous combat aviation and manned-unmanned teaming operations. Moreover, this agreement also coincides with discussions surrounding the future conversion of the Giuseppe Garibaldi (a carrier which Indonesia will receive for free from Italy) for drone operations.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.