Turkey's Baykar Plans Production of New Combat Drone Next Year

The head of Turkish defense industry company Baykar, Selçuk Bayraktar, indicated that "the company aims to begin production of its new combat aerial vehicles next year." Bayraktar, who led the design of the 15-meter-long drone named "Kızılelma," which operates with a jet engine, stated, "It is designed to be a high-autonomy combat vehicle under human supervision." The drone will expand the company's range of slow, ground-attack drones to include fast and agile autonomous drones that operate alongside fighter jets. Baykar plans to start small-scale production next year, and "Kızılelma" made its first flights in December, beginning swarm flight tests with other drones this month.