Baykar has put KIZILELMA unmanned fighter on display with onboard IRST, EOTS, and DAS systems to show the other sensor provisions at the IDEF25 exhibition.
This marks the first exhibition of KIZILELMA, with the intended optical sensors being developed by ASELSAN. TOYGUN 100 is being developed as an EOTS, while KARAT 100 is being developed as an IRST for various low-observable manned/unmanned aircraft.
KARAT 100’s placement coinciding with the radome either means it will be an alternative sensor to the radar, or it is just a tentative placement.
Due to the starting point of both optical sensors being low-observable aircraft, they have diamond-like shapes to keep the RCS low, which is a characteristic seen on F-35’s own EOTS as well.
Considering KIZILELMA’s emphasis on air-to-air capabilities, KARAT 100 will be a critical component, especially to detect low RCS air threats in addition to the MURAD 200-A AESA radar. On the other hand, targeting capabilities and the HD MWIR camera of TOYGUN 100 will be important for air-to-ground missions.
KIZILELMA’s tests are ongoing with the third and fourth prototypes, which incorporate design optimisations and AI-322 series afterburning turbofan engines (To be succeeded by indigenous alternatives like TEI TF10000).
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
