Turkish Baykar KEMANKEŞ-1 Mini Cruise Missile Hits Airborne Targets in First Live-Fire from Akinci Drone
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Turkish defense firm Baykar has completed the first live-fire test of its AI-guided KEMANKEŞ-1 mini cruise missile, launched from the Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aircraft. The precision strike marks a major leap in Türkiye’s autonomous weapons development and highlights its growing ability to produce advanced stand-off munitions without foreign support.
According to a report by Türkiye Today on October 31, 2025, Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar successfully conducted the first live-fire launch of its AI-powered KEMANKEŞ-1 mini cruise missile from the Bayraktar Akinci UCAV. The test, conducted under live operational conditions, demonstrated the missile’s ability to deliver pinpoint strikes against airborne targets —a breakthrough confirmed by Türkiye’s defense ministry and widely viewed by analysts as a defining moment for the nation’s indigenous unmanned weapons capability.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle pictured during recent test operations involving the KEMANKEŞ-1 mini cruise missile, which successfully completed its first live-fire engagement against airborne targets on October 31, 2025. (Picture source X account SavunmaSanayiST)
Turkish Company Baykar confirmed the test demonstrated the KEMANKEŞ-1’s ability to complete all mission stages, including autonomous launch, mid-course cruise, and terminal dive while engaging fast-moving aerial targets. Conducted under challenging environmental and flight conditions, the trial marks the first recorded use of an AI-powered cruise missile launched from a UCAV to engage air targets and not static ground-based threats, signaling a radical shift in the tactical utility of unmanned platforms.
The KEMANKEŞ-1, named after the Ottoman term for “master archer,” is a jet-propelled, miniaturized cruise missile designed to deliver precision strikes with minimal radar cross-section. Baykar has stated that the system uses a hybrid navigation approach that integrates AI-supported autopilot, computer vision, and GNSS/INS guidance, enabling it to navigate complex airspace and track dynamic targets. The missile is also equipped with an electro-optical seeker and electronic warfare countermeasures, increasing its survivability in contested environments.
The most recent test is particularly significant because it was launched from the Bayraktar Akinci, Baykar’s twin-engine, high-payload UCAV platform. With endurance exceeding 24 hours and a payload capacity of over 1,350 kilograms, the Akinci is optimized to carry advanced munitions such as the KEMANKEŞ-1, enabling Turkish forces and potential export customers to deploy cruise missile capabilities from unmanned systems far behind the front lines.
Earlier versions of the missile were tested on the smaller Bayraktar TB2. This operation marks its use with a long-range platform for lasting surveillance and strikes. In March 2025, Baykar confirmed a successful TB2 test flight that exceeded 100 kilometers. The Akinci-based test broadens the system’s use, enabling it to operate in layered air defense areas and potentially intercept enemy drones and low-flying aircraft.
Although the exact altitude, speed, and engagement envelope were not publicly disclosed, sources with knowledge of the program noted that the KEMANKEŞ-1 autonomously identified, tracked, and destroyed its airborne targets, reportedly drones or tow-targets simulating incoming threats under battlefield-representative conditions. The test also validated the missile’s AI-enabled decision-making under real-time constraints, a capability increasingly central to Baykar’s next-generation unmanned strike doctrine.
Strategically, this test combines several major trends in modern warfare: AI in munitions, unmanned air dominance, and long-range precision strikes. Baykar is now fielding unmanned strike systems with autonomous kill chains, not just drones. For Türkiye, this successful test underlines its aim to reduce its reliance on foreign defense suppliers and become a larger arms exporter.
Baykar has indicated that the KEMANKEŞ-1 is compatible not only with the Akinci but also with the forthcoming TB3. The TB3 is designed for carrier-based operations on the Turkish Navy’s amphibious assault ship, TCG Anadolu. This paves the way for sea-launched drone strikes equipped with precision cruise munitions. Such a capability could drastically expand Türkiye’s operational reach in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Black Sea theaters.
Questions remain about the missile’s performance against advanced air defenses or in heavy jamming. But its low radar signature, speed, and autonomy suggest it could help suppress enemy air defenses, target dynamic threats, and counter UAVs and helicopters.
For U.S. and NATO planners, this test shows a changing global landscape. Long-range precision munitions are no longer a monopoly. Smaller powers are investing in AI-guided strike systems, which could change regional balances faster than expected. Türkiye’s UCAVs have already shaped tactics from the Black Sea to North Africa. Now, with missiles like KEMANKEŞ-1, they could also deter strategically.
Baykar is expected to continue serial production of the missile with an eye toward export. With a proven track record of foreign sales and performance in operational theaters like Libya, Syria, and Ukraine, the company’s integration of autonomous munitions into its UCAVs could redefine unmanned warfare not just in the Middle East but globally.
Army Recognition will continue monitoring KEMANKEŞ-1 and its integration into Türkiye’s unmanned warfare doctrine. Exclusive visuals and specifications are expected from Baykar’s test range in the coming weeks.Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition GroupAlain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.
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Turkish defense firm Baykar has completed the first live-fire test of its AI-guided KEMANKEŞ-1 mini cruise missile, launched from the Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aircraft. The precision strike marks a major leap in Türkiye’s autonomous weapons development and highlights its growing ability to produce advanced stand-off munitions without foreign support.
According to a report by Türkiye Today on October 31, 2025, Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar successfully conducted the first live-fire launch of its AI-powered KEMANKEŞ-1 mini cruise missile from the Bayraktar Akinci UCAV. The test, conducted under live operational conditions, demonstrated the missile’s ability to deliver pinpoint strikes against airborne targets —a breakthrough confirmed by Türkiye’s defense ministry and widely viewed by analysts as a defining moment for the nation’s indigenous unmanned weapons capability.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle pictured during recent test operations involving the KEMANKEŞ-1 mini cruise missile, which successfully completed its first live-fire engagement against airborne targets on October 31, 2025. (Picture source X account SavunmaSanayiST)
Turkish Company Baykar confirmed the test demonstrated the KEMANKEŞ-1’s ability to complete all mission stages, including autonomous launch, mid-course cruise, and terminal dive while engaging fast-moving aerial targets. Conducted under challenging environmental and flight conditions, the trial marks the first recorded use of an AI-powered cruise missile launched from a UCAV to engage air targets and not static ground-based threats, signaling a radical shift in the tactical utility of unmanned platforms.
The KEMANKEŞ-1, named after the Ottoman term for “master archer,” is a jet-propelled, miniaturized cruise missile designed to deliver precision strikes with minimal radar cross-section. Baykar has stated that the system uses a hybrid navigation approach that integrates AI-supported autopilot, computer vision, and GNSS/INS guidance, enabling it to navigate complex airspace and track dynamic targets. The missile is also equipped with an electro-optical seeker and electronic warfare countermeasures, increasing its survivability in contested environments.
The most recent test is particularly significant because it was launched from the Bayraktar Akinci, Baykar’s twin-engine, high-payload UCAV platform. With endurance exceeding 24 hours and a payload capacity of over 1,350 kilograms, the Akinci is optimized to carry advanced munitions such as the KEMANKEŞ-1, enabling Turkish forces and potential export customers to deploy cruise missile capabilities from unmanned systems far behind the front lines.
Earlier versions of the missile were tested on the smaller Bayraktar TB2. This operation marks its use with a long-range platform for lasting surveillance and strikes. In March 2025, Baykar confirmed a successful TB2 test flight that exceeded 100 kilometers. The Akinci-based test broadens the system’s use, enabling it to operate in layered air defense areas and potentially intercept enemy drones and low-flying aircraft.
Although the exact altitude, speed, and engagement envelope were not publicly disclosed, sources with knowledge of the program noted that the KEMANKEŞ-1 autonomously identified, tracked, and destroyed its airborne targets, reportedly drones or tow-targets simulating incoming threats under battlefield-representative conditions. The test also validated the missile’s AI-enabled decision-making under real-time constraints, a capability increasingly central to Baykar’s next-generation unmanned strike doctrine.
Strategically, this test combines several major trends in modern warfare: AI in munitions, unmanned air dominance, and long-range precision strikes. Baykar is now fielding unmanned strike systems with autonomous kill chains, not just drones. For Türkiye, this successful test underlines its aim to reduce its reliance on foreign defense suppliers and become a larger arms exporter.
Baykar has indicated that the KEMANKEŞ-1 is compatible not only with the Akinci but also with the forthcoming TB3. The TB3 is designed for carrier-based operations on the Turkish Navy’s amphibious assault ship, TCG Anadolu. This paves the way for sea-launched drone strikes equipped with precision cruise munitions. Such a capability could drastically expand Türkiye’s operational reach in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Black Sea theaters.
Questions remain about the missile’s performance against advanced air defenses or in heavy jamming. But its low radar signature, speed, and autonomy suggest it could help suppress enemy air defenses, target dynamic threats, and counter UAVs and helicopters.
For U.S. and NATO planners, this test shows a changing global landscape. Long-range precision munitions are no longer a monopoly. Smaller powers are investing in AI-guided strike systems, which could change regional balances faster than expected. Türkiye’s UCAVs have already shaped tactics from the Black Sea to North Africa. Now, with missiles like KEMANKEŞ-1, they could also deter strategically.
Baykar is expected to continue serial production of the missile with an eye toward export. With a proven track record of foreign sales and performance in operational theaters like Libya, Syria, and Ukraine, the company’s integration of autonomous munitions into its UCAVs could redefine unmanned warfare not just in the Middle East but globally.
Army Recognition will continue monitoring KEMANKEŞ-1 and its integration into Türkiye’s unmanned warfare doctrine. Exclusive visuals and specifications are expected from Baykar’s test range in the coming weeks.
Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.
