Baykar Bayraktar KALKAN
A VTOL UAV designed for intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance missions.
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The Baykar Bayraktar KALKAN (also referred to as Kalkan, literally 'Skydagger') is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Baykar defense technology. It was announced for the first time in 2019 and is specifically designed for intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance missions. The system is notable for its fully autonomous takeoff, cruise, and landing capabilities, as well as its semi-autonomous flight modes.
Background
The Bayraktar KALKAN project was launched in 2019, with subsequent flight tests commencing thereafter. As of 7 April 2024, it had achieved a total of 30 flight tests.
In early 2025, Baykar announced that they had successfully launched an FPV drone, called 'Skydagger', from the aircraft mid-air, demonstrating its 'mothership' capability. The integration of the Kalkan VTOL into the Turkish Armed Forces inventory took place aboard a frigate during the Teknofest 'Mavi Vatan' (literally: Blue Homeland) event held in Gölcük Naval Shipyard, Turkey on 20 August 2026. The system was initially intended to be used in the drone-carrying Landing helicopter dock TCG Anadolu.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Baykar Bayraktar KALKAN (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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