Bayraktar Kızılelma's final flight of the year, equipped with ASELSAN's "Karat" IRST sensor, caught the attention of US military aviation experts. CW Lemoine, a former US Air Force pilot who previously praised Kızılelma's aerodynamic success, this time examined its avionics capabilities: "An artificial intelligence capable of formation flying is the closest candidate for dogfighting."“
Türkiye's first unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar Kızılelma, has passed the "flight" phase in its testing processes and has been promoted to the "mission systems" phase. Its flight, conducted in late 2025 with the ASELSAN Karat Infrared Search and Tracking System (IRST), made headlines in the global aviation community.
In analyses we previously published on our site, the former F-16 and F/A-18 pilot showered praise on the overall concept of Kızılelma. CW Lemoine (Mover), In its latest video, Kızılelma analyzed the tactical advantages of Karat, the "Seeing Eye" of the Turkish Air Force, and the strategic message behind its autonomous formation flight.
ASELSAN KARAT's "Passive Detection" Capability: Seeing the Invisible
The most striking point in Lemoine's analysis was his emphasis on the IRST (Infrared Search and Track) system located on the tip of the Red Apple. Regarding this system, which detects enemies by tracking heat alone without emitting radar waves, Lemoine stated:
“IRST was a feature I always wanted throughout my flying career, but it wasn't available on the planes I flew. This system provides 'Passive Detection.' You can see the enemy without turning on your radar and revealing your position. This capability can even overcome electronic jamming (ECM) and 'Stealth' technologies. Because IRST looks at heat, not radar signature.‘
This analysis confirms that Kızılelma is designed not just as a UAV, but as a "hunter" capable of challenging 5th generation fighter jets.
Why is Formation Flying Important? "Laying the Foundation for Dogfighting"“
Lemoine, evaluating the moments in the video where Kızılelma performed formation flights with a manned aircraft or another UAV, stated that this was not a simple show, but that there was a serious software achievement behind it.
According to Lemoine, formation flying is the first step in aerial combat (BFM – Basic Fighter Maneuvers):
“In pilot training, everything starts with formation. If an aircraft can autonomously detect the position, speed, and angle of another aircraft and fly in a fixed position with it, this is a precursor to autonomous dogfighting capabilities. Baykar engineers are essentially writing the code for future one-on-one air combat with this capability.’
KIZILELMA: “This is not a drone, it's an unmanned F-16”
The American pilot also drew attention to the size and capabilities of Kızılelma. Lemoine noted that while the word "drone" often evokes images of small hobby devices, Kızılelma is a real, "Fighter-Sized" aircraft.
Lemoine, “This aircraft is almost the size of an F-16. With its internal weapons bays and external payload capacity, it should be described not as an ordinary UAV, but as an 'unmanned combat aircraft'."‘ He clarified the platform's weight class by saying this.
The Concept of a "Ready Air Force" of the Future
In the strategic analysis section of the video, Lemoine also outlined an interesting projection regarding the export potential of the Kızılelma system. He stated that such systems could be sold as "Instant Air Force" packages for countries wishing to build or strengthen their air forces from scratch, thereby providing numerical superiority (swarm capability) on the battlefield and overwhelming the opponent.
The bar has now been raised to the "Avionics" level.
While our previous news report (See: US Pilots' Confession About Kızılelma) discussed the platform's flight success, today, US experts have stated that Kızılelma's... sensor fusion, artificial intelligence algorithms, and passive detection capabilities They are debating. This change is the most concrete evidence that the Turkish defense industry not only produces platforms but also successfully integrates the subsystems, which are the "intelligence" of those platforms.
Keywords: Kızılelma IRST, ASELSAN Karat, CW Lemoine, Kızılelma analysis, What is Passive Detection, unmanned combat aircraft, Bayraktar Kızılelma latest status.
