Kemankeş 1 Scores Direct Hits on Airborne Targets

Baykar’s indigenously developed Kemankeş 1 AI-based mini cruise missile successfully destroyed airborne targets during its latest live-fire trial on 28th June, 2025, Baykar announced. The missile was launched from a Bayraktar Akinci uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

The test, coordinated by Baykar’s Flight Test and Training Centres in Çorlu and Keşan, involved a Bayraktar Akinci carrying two Kemankeş 1 missiles. During the mission, the system’s identification, cruise, and visual dive modes were evaluated. Both Kemankeş 1 missiles were fired at moving airborne targets towed by another drone. 

According to Baykar, the missiles autonomously navigated using an AI-aided targeting system and destroyed their designated targets with high precision. All mission objectives were met, confirming Kemankeş 1’s ability to neutralise aerial threats, the company states. This appears to indicate that Baykar is working on capabilities for air-to-air engagements from UCAVs, which could present a viable air defence solution against drones. 

For example, General Atomics presented an MQ-1C Gray Eagle UCAV in a counter-drone role at the Army Aviation Association of America conference held from the 14th to the 16th May. The MQ-1C was shown equipped with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) from BAE Systems, which US aircraft have been using to engage Iranian drones in the Middle East. It costs around $20,000 (£15,800/€18,500) per round, which is much cheaper than other air-to-air missiles that could be used in the role. The APKWS is fitted to unguided rockets and uses laser guidance to provide a precise strike against a target. 

Bayraktar Akinci, a diverse weapons carrier

The Bayraktar Akinci is a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UCAV that first flew on December 6, 2019, and entered service with the Turkish Armed Forces on August 29, 2021. It has a payload capacity of 1,500 kilograms and an endurance of 25 hours. The platform has been actively involved in testing various Turkish-made munitions. For example, in November 2024 the Akinci successfully test-fired the IHA-122 supersonic missile – also known as UAV 230 – developed by Roketsan, at a target over 150 km away. 

More recently, on 14th June, 2025, Baykar announced the successful launch of Roketsan’s Çakır cruise missile from the Akinci, with the missile achieving a direct hit through autonomous target recognition and low-altitude navigation.

Akinci is also securing export success, and a JV announced between Indonesia and Turkey on 12th December 2024 covered drone production, including up to nine Akincis. This partnership aims to leverage Turkey’s expertise in uncrewed aerial systems, exemplified by Baykar’s platforms, to meet Indonesia’s defence needs and potentially export to other Southeast Asian countries.

Tech Profile: Kemankeş 1

Key specifications for Kemankeş 1:

• Length: 1.73 metres
• Weight: 6 kg (operational), up to 30 kg (maximum take-off weight)
• Payload: 6 kg
• Range: 200 km+
• Altitude: 18,000 feet
• Platforms: Bayraktar TB2, Bayraktar Akinci, and the forthcoming Bayraktar TB3.

Kemankeş 1 was publicly displayed for the first time at TEKNOFEST 2023. Designed by Baykar for strategic strike missions, the missile is named after Ottoman archers known for their accuracy. It is also worth noting that previous weaponry used by Baykar’s drones has tended to come from Roketsan, so the Kemankeş 1 further expands the company’s offering. It is being integrated onto the Bayraktar Akinci, Bayraktar TB2, and the forthcoming Bayraktar TB3 uncrewed aerial vehicle platforms.

It is powered by a jet engine, enabling approximately one hour of flight and a range exceeding 200 kilometres, allowing it to penetrate deep behind enemy lines. The missile employs an AI-aided electro-optical seeker that identifies its target and delivers a precision strike in all weather conditions.

An AI-aided electro-optical seeker system uses artificial intelligence to process visual data from sensors (like cameras) to identify and track targets. This enables the missile to make real-time decisions about its flight path and adjust to target movements or environmental changes, even in environments where GPS might be denied or jammed. This technology also allows for autonomous target recognition and precision strikes without continuous human input, which presumably also requires the AI algorithms to be programmed to recognise the desired target set. 

The missile also features an AI-assisted autopilot system for autonomous flight and anti-jamming technology, allowing it to operate unaffected by electronic warfare, according to Baykar. Kemankeş 1 maintains full line-of-sight communications with its host platform, transmitting all collected data and imagery to the ground control station through that platform, providing operators with continuous situational awareness. Although, the company does not clarify how the missile would function in the event that the communications link between the missile and carrier UCAV is disrupted. 

Calibre comment

The Akinci’s arsenal is growing and the UCAV is now capable of carrying and firing an array of weapons for different purposes. It represents a significant expansion of capabilities over the laser guided micro-munitions; the MAM-L and MAM-C that the Bayraktar TB2 originally carried into battle in 2018.  The most recent additions point to a desire to create a platform that can conduct stand-off strikes against well-defended targets. The range and capabilities of the Kemankeş 1, for example, could enable it to engage air defence systems as well as adversary drones beyond the reach of weapons that could hold the Akinci at risk. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 1st July, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Baykar Technologies, it shows the Kemankeş 1 integrated onto the Akinci.