Kamikaze drones have been causing fear and terror in Ukraine for weeks. The regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) continues to launch the infamous drones from Iran. The kamikaze drones crash into critical infrastructure in Ukraine, causing widespread power outages, among other things.
However, the Ukrainians also have drones. In defense against the Russian invasion, the manufacturer Baykar donated three Bayraktar TB2 drones to Ukraine. The cheap drones proved extremely effective. They can fly 300 kilometers and drop four projectiles.
Bayraktar drones will not be delivered to Russia. The boss of the drone company made that clear. “We have not supplied them with anything and we never will, because we support Ukraine, its sovereignty, its resistance and its independence,” Haluk Bayraktar, 43, said in a CNN interview in July.
Fast up to 900 km/h
Now Baykar is working on the next model – and wants to bring it to market soon. Company boss Bayraktar posted a video of the new drone on Twitter.
In the video, the Bayraktar Kizilelma, as the latest generation is called, can be seen on the runway of a military airport. During the test, the engine was tested, but the drone has not yet started.
The fighter jet is therefore in the final test phase. The Kzielma is expected to make its first flight in the spring of 2023. The drone is manufactured in two configurations. One variant is powered by a subsonic motor, the other even reaches supersonic speeds thanks to a super AI-322F motor. The Kizilelma must be able to fly at speeds of up to 900 km/h.
Are manufacturers going to give away drones again?
Thanks to new stealth technology, the drone should also fly practically undetected at altitudes of up to 12 kilometers and not appear on enemy radar. In addition, the drone has a range that is almost three times as long as that of the TB2. According to initial information, the Kzielma should be able to fly missions up to 930 kilometers from the base.
The new drone should also be slightly smaller than the TB2. While the latter has a wingspan of 12 metres, that of the Kzielma prototype is only 10 metres. With a length of about 14 meters and a height of just over three meters, the drone is still quite large.
It is not yet clear whether manufacturer Baykar will also give away the latest drone model to Ukraine.