Turkish Kizilelma Drone shows 500 lb precision-strike potential with Roketsan’s TEBER-82 Tech
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Baykar said its Kizilelma unmanned fighter completed a second captive-munition flight carrying the Roketsan TEBER-82, a 500-lb laser+GNSS guided bomb, on Oct. 2, 2025.
On 2nd of October 2025, Baykar’s Kizilelma unmanned fighter completed a second captive-munition flight with the TEBER-82, a 500 lb laser+GNSS guided bomb, as reported by Baykar. The test adds momentum to a program conceived to move precision strike tasks from manned jets to autonomous platforms. It signals a maturing weapons-integration roadmap and raises the prospect of near-term operational relevance for an unmanned combat aircraft. The development matters because it points to a credible path for precision effects at lower risk and with greater persistence than traditional fighter sorties.
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The latest captive-carry test underscores a shift from promise to capability: an unmanned aircraft configured to deliver a 500 lb precision weapon with the accuracy and responsiveness once reserved for frontline fighters, and a program intent on redefining how precision strike is generated, sustained and scaled (Picture source: Baykar)
Kizilelma is designed as a low-observable, deck-capable unmanned combat aircraft built around endurance, payload and multi-mission flexibility. The architecture supports both internal and external stores, enabling carriage of standard 500 lb-class ordnance and other mission kits across air-to-surface and air-to-air roles. Baykar has framed the program as the first step in a progressive shift whereby autonomous systems assume portions of the strike portfolio now handled by manned assets. In this construct, Kizilelma with a TEBER-82 loadout starts to approximate the precision-delivery roles familiar to F-16 operators, CAS, interdiction and time-sensitive targeting, while avoiding the penalties of cockpit survivability and pilot training pipelines.
The TEBER-82 is a modular guidance kit that converts an Mk-82 class bomb into a precision weapon by coupling inertial and satellite navigation with a semi-active laser seeker. The seeker affords terminal guidance against moving or relocatable targets when lased by the aircraft, a teammate, or a ground designator; GNSS/INS navigation ensures accuracy in GPS-permissive conditions, while laser terminal homing provides resilience when targets shift after release. Captive-carry testing verifies aerodynamics, carriage loads and interface behavior before release trials, and it is a standard step toward weapons qualification on a new airframe.
From a development and operational history perspective, Kizilelma has moved quickly from early engine runs and first flights into iterative campaigns focused on avionics maturation and stores integration. The October captive-carry event with TEBER-82 follows earlier munitions-related flights, marking a transition from envelope expansion to mission-system validation. This cadence reflects a build-up approach: verify carriage, validate interfaces, proceed to separation tests, then live drops, while software increments expand autonomous behaviors and networked employment options.
Against broadly comparable programs, such as attritable loyal-wingman concepts, Kizilelma positions itself with higher payload, deck operations and an emphasis on strike volume and basing flexibility rather than extreme cost-attrition metrics. It will not duplicate the full performance envelope or adaptive judgment of manned multirole fighters, but it compensates through persistence, lower personnel risk and the ability to operate as a distributed shooter, decoy or sensor node inside a wider kill web. Pairing with a mature 500 lb guidance kit also leverages existing Mk-82 stockpiles and established logistics, easing adoption for forces already trained on laser designation and JDAM-class procedures.
The strategic implications are significant. Geopolitically, a domestically produced unmanned strike ecosystem (airframe, kit and munition) enhances industrial autonomy and export appeal for states seeking precision effects without the political complexities of manned fighter transfers. Geostrategically, a carrier-capable unmanned platform widens options for nations operating from short runways or small decks, enabling distributed precision strike and complicating adversary planning.
Militarily, integrating TEBER-82 on Kizilelma opens roles from runway denial and interdiction to selective suppression of air defenses when cued by ISR and off-board laser designation, complementing manned fleets by assuming higher-risk, endurance-intensive tasks and conserving valuable pilot hours for missions where human judgment remains decisive.
The latest captive-carry test underscores a shift from promise to capability: an unmanned aircraft configured to deliver a 500 lb precision weapon with the accuracy and responsiveness once reserved for frontline fighters, and a program intent on redefining how precision strike is generated, sustained and scaled.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Baykar said its Kizilelma unmanned fighter completed a second captive-munition flight carrying the Roketsan TEBER-82, a 500-lb laser+GNSS guided bomb, on Oct. 2, 2025.
On 2nd of October 2025, Baykar’s Kizilelma unmanned fighter completed a second captive-munition flight with the TEBER-82, a 500 lb laser+GNSS guided bomb, as reported by Baykar. The test adds momentum to a program conceived to move precision strike tasks from manned jets to autonomous platforms. It signals a maturing weapons-integration roadmap and raises the prospect of near-term operational relevance for an unmanned combat aircraft. The development matters because it points to a credible path for precision effects at lower risk and with greater persistence than traditional fighter sorties.
The latest captive-carry test underscores a shift from promise to capability: an unmanned aircraft configured to deliver a 500 lb precision weapon with the accuracy and responsiveness once reserved for frontline fighters, and a program intent on redefining how precision strike is generated, sustained and scaled (Picture source: Baykar)
Kizilelma is designed as a low-observable, deck-capable unmanned combat aircraft built around endurance, payload and multi-mission flexibility. The architecture supports both internal and external stores, enabling carriage of standard 500 lb-class ordnance and other mission kits across air-to-surface and air-to-air roles. Baykar has framed the program as the first step in a progressive shift whereby autonomous systems assume portions of the strike portfolio now handled by manned assets. In this construct, Kizilelma with a TEBER-82 loadout starts to approximate the precision-delivery roles familiar to F-16 operators, CAS, interdiction and time-sensitive targeting, while avoiding the penalties of cockpit survivability and pilot training pipelines.
The TEBER-82 is a modular guidance kit that converts an Mk-82 class bomb into a precision weapon by coupling inertial and satellite navigation with a semi-active laser seeker. The seeker affords terminal guidance against moving or relocatable targets when lased by the aircraft, a teammate, or a ground designator; GNSS/INS navigation ensures accuracy in GPS-permissive conditions, while laser terminal homing provides resilience when targets shift after release. Captive-carry testing verifies aerodynamics, carriage loads and interface behavior before release trials, and it is a standard step toward weapons qualification on a new airframe.
From a development and operational history perspective, Kizilelma has moved quickly from early engine runs and first flights into iterative campaigns focused on avionics maturation and stores integration. The October captive-carry event with TEBER-82 follows earlier munitions-related flights, marking a transition from envelope expansion to mission-system validation. This cadence reflects a build-up approach: verify carriage, validate interfaces, proceed to separation tests, then live drops, while software increments expand autonomous behaviors and networked employment options.
Against broadly comparable programs, such as attritable loyal-wingman concepts, Kizilelma positions itself with higher payload, deck operations and an emphasis on strike volume and basing flexibility rather than extreme cost-attrition metrics. It will not duplicate the full performance envelope or adaptive judgment of manned multirole fighters, but it compensates through persistence, lower personnel risk and the ability to operate as a distributed shooter, decoy or sensor node inside a wider kill web. Pairing with a mature 500 lb guidance kit also leverages existing Mk-82 stockpiles and established logistics, easing adoption for forces already trained on laser designation and JDAM-class procedures.
The strategic implications are significant. Geopolitically, a domestically produced unmanned strike ecosystem (airframe, kit and munition) enhances industrial autonomy and export appeal for states seeking precision effects without the political complexities of manned fighter transfers. Geostrategically, a carrier-capable unmanned platform widens options for nations operating from short runways or small decks, enabling distributed precision strike and complicating adversary planning.
Militarily, integrating TEBER-82 on Kizilelma opens roles from runway denial and interdiction to selective suppression of air defenses when cued by ISR and off-board laser designation, complementing manned fleets by assuming higher-risk, endurance-intensive tasks and conserving valuable pilot hours for missions where human judgment remains decisive.
The latest captive-carry test underscores a shift from promise to capability: an unmanned aircraft configured to deliver a 500 lb precision weapon with the accuracy and responsiveness once reserved for frontline fighters, and a program intent on redefining how precision strike is generated, sustained and scaled.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
