Baykar’s Kalkan VTOL Drone Achieves FPV Drone Launch Test Marking New Era in Airborne Motherships
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Baykar has conducted a successful flight test in early 2025 in which its Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL UAV deployed a compact FPV drone midair, according to the company’s official channels. The demonstration signals growing interest in distributed unmanned tactics that rely on long-endurance carriers feeding small strike drones into contested airspace.
On 29 November 2025, Baykar conducted a successful demonstration of its Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL UAV, deploying a compact FPV drone in flight, as reported by Baykar on its official communication channels. This test comes amid rapid global experimentation with drone-on-drone launch concepts, a practice accelerated by battlefield lessons from Ukraine and the South Caucasus. The ability to release an FPV drone from a long-endurance platform introduces new tactical possibilities, making this event highly relevant for armed forces investing in layered unmanned systems. The demonstration also highlights the growing partnership between Baykar and Skydagger Drones, a firm already known for supplying ready-to-fly attack drones to Kosovo.
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Baykar’s successful November 2025 test saw its Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL UAV release a compact FPV drone midair, showcasing a new step toward distributed unmanned tactics and layered drone systems shaped by recent battlefield innovations (Picture Source: Baykar / TRT)
The Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL is a vertical-takeoff-and-landing derivative of Baykar’s DİHA mini tactical UAV family, featuring a 5-meter wingspan, a fuselage length of about 1.5 meters and a hybrid propulsion system combining four electric lift motors with a gasoline cruise engine. This configuration allows operations from confined 20 x 20 meter sites without runway or catapult and supports automatic vertical take-off, transition to fixed-wing flight and autonomous recovery. In its current ISR-focused configuration, Kalkan is reported with a maximum take-off weight in the 30–50 kg class and an internal payload capacity of around 3 kg, typically used for electro-optical/infrared sensor turrets, laser rangefinders and laser designators. Endurance is in the medium-tactical segment, with recent trials demonstrating up to eight hours of flight and a service ceiling above 14,000 ft, coupled with a line-of-sight data link generally quoted between roughly 70 and more than 100 km depending on antenna configuration. During the recent air-launch campaign, the UAV carried a Skydagger 7 FPV kamikaze drone and executed two distinct release profiles: an initial controlled drop, allowing the FPV to separate cleanly, stabilize and complete a safe landing, followed by a second release in which the drone transitioned into a direct dive-attack against a fixed ground target. This sequence demonstrated that Kalkan can function not only as a persistent surveillance node, but also as an aerial carrier enabling precise delivery of short-range effectors while remaining outside the engagement envelope of front-line air defences.
The development of air-launched FPV concepts reflects a broader shift in unmanned systems toward distributed, layered use of low-cost platforms. Baykar has iteratively refined its VTOL line through successive DİHA and Kalkan test campaigns, progressively increasing endurance, altitude performance and payload integration while maintaining a relatively low logistical footprint for tactical units. In parallel, Skydagger has rapidly emerged with a family of compact attack drones in 7-, 10- and 15-inch formats, offering payloads of roughly 2, 3 and 5 kg respectively, with typical combat endurance between about 12 and 20 minutes and a maximum range around 10 km, at speeds in the 120–140 km/h band. These ready-to-fly FPV loitering munitions have already entered formal procurement channels, notably through Kosovo’s 2024 contract for thousands of Skydagger systems that were delivered ahead of schedule in October 2025 and integrated alongside Bayraktar TB2 and Puma UAVs. The convergence of a relatively long-endurance VTOL carrier such as Kalkan with short-range FPV effectors like Skydagger illustrates how industrial collaboration can accelerate capability maturation, extend the tactical reach of small drones, and shorten the pathway from prototype concept to operational use in combined unmanned strike architectures.
From a tactical perspective, releasing FPV drones from a VTOL platform offers several operational advantages. A fixed-wing VTOL can loiter considerably longer and at higher altitudes than standard multirotor systems, allowing FPV drones to be launched closer to their final objectives. This reduces exposure to counter-EW measures, shortens flight time, and limits vulnerabilities associated with line-of-sight control. Airborne release also enables attack vectors that bypass terrain masking and conventional defensive assumptions, greatly extending the effective range of FPV systems normally constrained by battery capacity or ground-level obstacles. For reconnaissance roles, this method allows discreet insertion of sensors deep inside contested areas before ground elements engage.
Strategically, the test signifies an emerging era in which larger unmanned aircraft operate as aerial command nodes or “motherships,” deploying coordinated swarms of compact attack drones across wide operational zones. This approach is increasingly pertinent as modern militaries pursue cost-effective alternatives to traditional strike platforms and experiment with saturation tactics based on expendable, autonomous systems. For Türkiye, the demonstration underscores both its industrial and geopolitical ascent, reinforcing its standing as a developer of combat-proven unmanned technologies and extending its strategic influence across regions such as the Balkans, the Middle East, and beyond. For NATO members and neighboring states, these advancements illustrate the accelerating shift toward multi-layered drone architectures that may redefine air dominance doctrines, particularly in contested environments dense with electronic warfare activity.
This latest trial represents a notable step forward in the evolution of unmanned warfare. The Kalkan VTOL’s ability to deploy and direct FPV drones confirms that airborne launch concepts are moving rapidly from experimentation toward operational reality. As companies like Baykar and Skydagger continue merging long-endurance UAVs with agile FPV effectors, armed forces may soon field airborne platforms capable of carrying and releasing several compact munitions or sensors in a single sortie. Such a shift has the potential to redefine how militaries conduct precision strikes, reconnaissance, and suppression missions within increasingly contested airspace.
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 has conducted a successful flight test in early 2025 in which its Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL UAV deployed a compact FPV drone midair, according to the company’s official channels. The demonstration signals growing interest in distributed unmanned tactics that rely on long-endurance carriers feeding small strike drones into contested airspace.
On 29 November 2025, Baykar conducted a successful demonstration of its Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL UAV, deploying a compact FPV drone in flight, as reported by Baykar on its official communication channels. This test comes amid rapid global experimentation with drone-on-drone launch concepts, a practice accelerated by battlefield lessons from Ukraine and the South Caucasus. The ability to release an FPV drone from a long-endurance platform introduces new tactical possibilities, making this event highly relevant for armed forces investing in layered unmanned systems. The demonstration also highlights the growing partnership between Baykar and Skydagger Drones, a firm already known for supplying ready-to-fly attack drones to Kosovo.
Baykar’s successful November 2025 test saw its Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL UAV release a compact FPV drone midair, showcasing a new step toward distributed unmanned tactics and layered drone systems shaped by recent battlefield innovations (Picture Source: Baykar / TRT)
The Bayraktar Kalkan VTOL is a vertical-takeoff-and-landing derivative of Baykar’s DİHA mini tactical UAV family, featuring a 5-meter wingspan, a fuselage length of about 1.5 meters and a hybrid propulsion system combining four electric lift motors with a gasoline cruise engine. This configuration allows operations from confined 20 x 20 meter sites without runway or catapult and supports automatic vertical take-off, transition to fixed-wing flight and autonomous recovery. In its current ISR-focused configuration, Kalkan is reported with a maximum take-off weight in the 30–50 kg class and an internal payload capacity of around 3 kg, typically used for electro-optical/infrared sensor turrets, laser rangefinders and laser designators. Endurance is in the medium-tactical segment, with recent trials demonstrating up to eight hours of flight and a service ceiling above 14,000 ft, coupled with a line-of-sight data link generally quoted between roughly 70 and more than 100 km depending on antenna configuration. During the recent air-launch campaign, the UAV carried a Skydagger 7 FPV kamikaze drone and executed two distinct release profiles: an initial controlled drop, allowing the FPV to separate cleanly, stabilize and complete a safe landing, followed by a second release in which the drone transitioned into a direct dive-attack against a fixed ground target. This sequence demonstrated that Kalkan can function not only as a persistent surveillance node, but also as an aerial carrier enabling precise delivery of short-range effectors while remaining outside the engagement envelope of front-line air defences.
The development of air-launched FPV concepts reflects a broader shift in unmanned systems toward distributed, layered use of low-cost platforms. Baykar has iteratively refined its VTOL line through successive DİHA and Kalkan test campaigns, progressively increasing endurance, altitude performance and payload integration while maintaining a relatively low logistical footprint for tactical units. In parallel, Skydagger has rapidly emerged with a family of compact attack drones in 7-, 10- and 15-inch formats, offering payloads of roughly 2, 3 and 5 kg respectively, with typical combat endurance between about 12 and 20 minutes and a maximum range around 10 km, at speeds in the 120–140 km/h band. These ready-to-fly FPV loitering munitions have already entered formal procurement channels, notably through Kosovo’s 2024 contract for thousands of Skydagger systems that were delivered ahead of schedule in October 2025 and integrated alongside Bayraktar TB2 and Puma UAVs. The convergence of a relatively long-endurance VTOL carrier such as Kalkan with short-range FPV effectors like Skydagger illustrates how industrial collaboration can accelerate capability maturation, extend the tactical reach of small drones, and shorten the pathway from prototype concept to operational use in combined unmanned strike architectures.
From a tactical perspective, releasing FPV drones from a VTOL platform offers several operational advantages. A fixed-wing VTOL can loiter considerably longer and at higher altitudes than standard multirotor systems, allowing FPV drones to be launched closer to their final objectives. This reduces exposure to counter-EW measures, shortens flight time, and limits vulnerabilities associated with line-of-sight control. Airborne release also enables attack vectors that bypass terrain masking and conventional defensive assumptions, greatly extending the effective range of FPV systems normally constrained by battery capacity or ground-level obstacles. For reconnaissance roles, this method allows discreet insertion of sensors deep inside contested areas before ground elements engage.
Strategically, the test signifies an emerging era in which larger unmanned aircraft operate as aerial command nodes or “motherships,” deploying coordinated swarms of compact attack drones across wide operational zones. This approach is increasingly pertinent as modern militaries pursue cost-effective alternatives to traditional strike platforms and experiment with saturation tactics based on expendable, autonomous systems. For Türkiye, the demonstration underscores both its industrial and geopolitical ascent, reinforcing its standing as a developer of combat-proven unmanned technologies and extending its strategic influence across regions such as the Balkans, the Middle East, and beyond. For NATO members and neighboring states, these advancements illustrate the accelerating shift toward multi-layered drone architectures that may redefine air dominance doctrines, particularly in contested environments dense with electronic warfare activity.
This latest trial represents a notable step forward in the evolution of unmanned warfare. The Kalkan VTOL’s ability to deploy and direct FPV drones confirms that airborne launch concepts are moving rapidly from experimentation toward operational reality. As companies like Baykar and Skydagger continue merging long-endurance UAVs with agile FPV effectors, armed forces may soon field airborne platforms capable of carrying and releasing several compact munitions or sensors in a single sortie. Such a shift has the potential to redefine how militaries conduct precision strikes, reconnaissance, and suppression missions within increasingly contested airspace.
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.
