Indonesia has become the first country to purchase the Turkish combat jet drone, the Bayraktar KIZILELMA, following an agreement signed between the Turkish company Baykar and the Indonesian firm PT Republik Aero Dirgantara during the SAHA 2026 defense exhibition in Istanbul, where Turkey also unveiled yesterday its first ICBM, the Yıldırımhan.
The framework agreement for the export of the Bayraktar KIZILELMA signed between Baykar and the Indonesian company PT Republik Aero Dirgantara (Republikorp) stipulates that the first fleet of 12 aircraft will be delivered starting in 2028, and includes an option for the additional purchase of another 48 units, according to the Turkish news website TRT Haber.
In remarks made during the fair, the chairman of the board of SAHA Istanbul and CEO of Baykar, Haluk Bayraktar, emphasized that this is “a very important historic agreement.” “The Bayraktar KIZILELMA, one of the world’s first unmanned combat aircraft technologies, made its first flight in 2022. Since then, flight testing has continued at a very intense pace. Preparations for series production were completed last year, and our goal is for the Bayraktar KIZILELMA to enter service in our country this year,” he said.
“This is our first export agreement for the Bayraktar KIZILELMA. We are proud on behalf of our country and our sister nation Indonesia. With this agreement, our goal is to deliver a fleet of 12 Bayraktar KIZILELMA aircraft starting in 2028. However, this agreement also includes an option for four additional fleets, meaning 48 more aircraft in the future,” Bayraktar noted.
The agreement covers both the supply of systems and the establishment of a local production and maintenance center in Indonesia for technical support. Jakarta’s purchase of the Bayraktar KIZILELMA is part of the growing defense cooperation between Türkiye and Indonesia, a country that last year signed an agreement to acquire 48 KAAN fighter jets, becoming the first foreign customer of Turkey’s national fifth-generation fighter jet program.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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