- ASELSAN KARAT IRST system on Bayraktar KIZILELMA detected a passenger airliner at 110 kilometers during a recent performance validation test.
- KARAT is one of three primary sensors on KIZILELMA, with more capable KARAT 200 variants planned for KAAN fighter jet and ANKA-III stealth UCAV.
Turkish Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat air vehicle successfully detected a passenger airliner at a range of 110 kilometers during a performance validation test of the ASELSAN KARAT Infrared Search and Track system.
The result was disclosed through ASELSAN’s monthly publication, a-Bülten, confirming that one of the KIZILELMA’s three primary sensor systems has cleared a significant detection range milestone.
The KARAT system is one of three core sensors integrated into the KIZILELMA platform, alongside the MURAD 100-A active electronically scanned array radar and the TOYGUN electro-optical targeting system. The 110-kilometer detection range achieved during the test places KARAT in line with the average instrumented range documented for comparable infrared search and track systems on conventional fighter aircraft. Tracking a large, commercially operated airliner at that distance under test conditions validates the sensor’s ability to detect and follow aerial targets at tactically relevant ranges — a baseline requirement for any IRST intended for air combat operations.
KARAT was developed with low observability as a design priority. The system features a low radar cross-section aperture, meaning the sensor assembly itself contributes minimally to the overall radar signature of the aircraft carrying it — a relevant consideration given KIZILELMA’s stealth-oriented design. Beyond passive detection, KARAT is capable of providing midcourse guidance for air-to-air missiles by tracking targets with a precision comparable to a radar’s active track mode, without ever emitting a signal that could be detected by an adversary’s radar warning receiver or electronic support measures suite.
That passive operational mode is one of the defining advantages of IRST technology broadly. Conventional radars broadcast energy and can be detected by onboard warning systems carried by virtually every modern combat aircraft — giving a targeted pilot notice that they are being tracked. An IRST, by contrast, operates entirely passively, collecting infrared energy radiated naturally by aircraft engines, airframes, and aerodynamic heating. A pilot whose aircraft is being tracked by an IRST-equipped platform receives no warning whatsoever from radar warning systems, because no radar signal is ever transmitted. This characteristic makes IRST sensors particularly effective against targets that are designed to minimize radar reflection — low radar cross-section aircraft that might evade or complicate radar tracking can still radiate substantial infrared signatures.
KIZILELMA is Baykar’s carrier-capable unmanned combat aircraft, designed for high-speed, jet-powered strike and air combat missions. Unlike propeller-driven unmanned systems, KIZILELMA operates in the flight envelope traditionally occupied by manned fighter jets, and its sensor suite reflects that role. The combination of an AESA radar, an electro-optical targeting pod, and an IRST system gives the platform a multi-layered picture of its operating environment — each sensor covering threat types and operational conditions where the others may be limited or less effective. The KARAT test result confirms that the passive sensing layer of that suite is performing at competitive levels.
ASELSAN’s KARAT program extends well beyond KIZILELMA. A more capable derivative, designated KARAT 200, is slated for integration on the KAAN, Turkey’s domestically developed fifth-generation fighter jet currently in flight testing. The KARAT system is also planned for the ANKA-III, Turkey’s stealth unmanned combat air vehicle under development. Across these three platforms — KIZILELMA, KAAN, and ANKA-III — ASELSAN is establishing KARAT as the standard infrared search and track solution for Turkey’s next-generation combat aviation fleet.
Passive infrared sensors have become a priority sensor category across major air forces as stealth aircraft proliferate and low-observable targets become a more routine planning consideration. Fighter programs including the F-35 incorporate IRST as a built-in system, while legacy aircraft like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet have adopted the IRST21 podded solution to add the capability without a full structural redesign. The logic in both cases is the same: radar alone is no longer a sufficient basis for air combat situational awareness when opposing aircraft are optimized to reduce their radar reflectivity.
Turkey’s investment in an indigenous IRST capability across its unmanned and manned platforms reflects a deliberate effort to close a sensor gap that many NATO and non-NATO air forces are currently managing through foreign procurement. With KARAT now demonstrating operationally relevant detection ranges on KIZILELMA, and more capable variants already designated for KAAN and ANKA-III, ASELSAN has validated a domestic solution with direct application across the full breadth of Turkey’s next-generation combat air programs.
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