Photos: Baykar Makina
The agreement covers 12 Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned combat aerial vehicles, with deliveries starting in 2028.
The company expressed hope regarding further deepening strategic cooperation between Türkiye and Indonesian defense industries in their press note.
According to Anadolu Agency, the option covers another 36 aircraft, for a total of 48.
It is worth adding that, on February 12, 2025, during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Indonesia, Baykar Makina signed an agreement with Republikorp on the establishment of a joint venture to produce Bayraktar TB3 and Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicles for the Indonesian Armed Forces, as well as to develop advanced guided missile systems, such as anti-ship cruise missiles. The main objective of this cooperation is technology transfer and the training of local engineers in order to strengthen the independence of Indonesia’s defense industry.
Analysis
Indonesia will become the second user of Kızılelma carrier-capable combat drones after Türkiye, but at present it does not operate any vessel with a continuous flight deck. The TB3 is likewise a carrier-capable platform.
On February 6, 2025, the command of the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, TNI-AL) reported that it had launched a procedure to assess the rationale for acquiring aircraft carriers, which could be built at the shipyard of the domestic company PT PAL Indonesia.
Earlier, in late 2024, unconfirmed reports circulated about interest in acquiring the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C552), decommissioned on October 1, 2022, as part of a broader agreement with Rome. The ship had originally been considered for conversion into a floating space rocket launch platform under the SIMONA (Sistema Italiano Messa in Orbita NAve) program.
In March 2025, it was announced that the Indonesian Navy was interested in acquiring the vessel from Italy together with a squadron of Harrier II aircraft. In July of the same year, Fincantieri presented a proposal to convert the ship into a landing helicopter dock capable of operating with carrier-based unmanned aircraft. In September 2025, Indonesia maintained that talks were ongoing and that loans had been approved of up to 450 million USD for transport helicopters and 300 million USD for multi-role helicopters.
Negotiations between the Indonesian and Italian navies and Fincantieri continued until February 17, 2026, and the ship was to be transferred as a donation. Indonesia is expected to receive the vessel before October 5, 2026, the anniversary of the establishment of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
On March 10, a vote by the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Italian Senate on the transfer of Giuseppe Garibaldi was delayed by the opposition Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Democratic Party (PD), which demanded a sale rather than a donation. The donation was not approved until April 28.
Bayraktar Kızılelma
The Bayraktar Kızılelma jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle was previously known as MİUS (Muharip İnsansız Uçak Sistemi, Turkish for unmanned combat aircraft system). The first prototype made its maiden flight on December 3, 2022.
According to information from the manufacturer, the Bayraktar Kızılelma has a service ceiling of 12,000 m and a maximum takeoff weight of 5,987.4 kg, of which 1,500 kg is payload, including 1,000 kg of weapons. It is 14.7 m long, has a wingspan of 10 m, and is 3.3 m high. Its endurance is 5–6 hours.
Three production variants of the unmanned aircraft are planned, depending on the propulsion system. The Kızılelma-A will be capable of near-supersonic speeds thanks to the Ukrainian Ivchenko-Progress AL-25TLT turbofan engine. The Kızılelma-B will fly at supersonic speed, powered by the Ukrainian AL-322F engine, while the Kızılelma-C will be powered by two AL-322F engines. The future use of domestic TEI TF-6000 engines has also not been ruled out. The Kızılelma-B will therefore be equipped with an engine offering 2.5 times greater thrust, which will significantly distinguish it from the Kızılelma-A in terms of technical performance. This will make it possible to take off from the deck of the new landing helicopter dock TCG Anadolu (L-400) without the need for a catapult, using the ski-jump ramp instead.
The unmanned aircraft features autonomous takeoff and landing, a reduced radar cross-section (RCS), high maneuverability, line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) operation, the ability to take off from and land on aircraft carriers and other aviation-capable ships with flat decks, high situational awareness thanks to an AESA radar, and internal weapons bays.
In November 2025, the first tests of intercepting and shooting down aerial targets were conducted.
Endonezya firması PT Republikorp ile Bayraktar #KIZILELMA anlaşması imzaladık.
İmzaladığımız anlaşmayla 12 adet #KIZILELMA İnsansız Savaş Uçağı, 2028 yılından itibaren Endonezya'ya teslim edilmeye başlanacak.
Bu anlaşmanın, Türkiye ile Endonezya arasındaki savunma sanayii… pic.twitter.com/XpvZEGE2tL
— BAYKAR (@BaykarTech) May 6, 2026
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