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The Turkish drone giant Baykar's Bayraktar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) scored a direct hit on a maritime target during a firing test using the supersonic UAV-300 ballistic missile, developed by Roketsan, marking the longest-range munition Türkiye has fired from an air platform to date.
According to Baykar, the test took place off the coast of Sinop after the Akinci took off from the Corlu Flight Training and Test Center in Tekirdag and transited to a test area over the Black Sea.
The Akinci-launched UAV-300 munition struck the target with a direct hit at a range of more than 250 kilometers, after which the aircraft returned to Corlu along its planned route.
Baykar said the Akinci continues to expand its operational capabilities and integrate a growing range of long-range munitions.
The company noted that the UAV-122 and UAV-230 supersonic missiles had previously been successfully integrated into the platform, and that the addition of the UAV-300 has elevated the Akinci's long-range, high-impact strike capacity to a new level.
The UAV-300, first unveiled at IDEF 2025, is roughly 5 meters long and weighs about 900 kilograms, with a 370mm-diameter body capable of carrying a warhead exceeding 150 kilograms. Depending on launch altitude, the missile can reach ranges from 250 kilometers to more than 500 kilometers.
The UAV-300 is technically distinct as an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) rather than a cruise missile, a category historically developed by only a small number of countries, including the U.S., Russia, China, and Israel.
ALBMs travel at significantly higher speeds than cruise missiles, leaving air and missile defense systems with limited reaction time. While standard air defense systems can intercept cruise missiles, countering an ALBM requires anti-ballistic missile capability, making the UAV-300 a much harder target for most existing air defense architectures.
Baykar said the Akinci has successfully integrated a broad array of munitions to date, including the MAM-L, MAM-L TV, MAM-T, MAM-T IIR/TV and MAM-C precision-guided munitions.
Other munitions include Aselsan's TOLUN munitions family, along with TEBER-81 and TEBER-82; LACIN, LGK-81, LGK-82 and HGK-82; GOKCE and GOZDE guidance kits; and KGK-82-UCAV.
The UAV-230 supersonic missile and the TV-seeker and laser-seeker variants of the UAV-122 supersonic missile, along with Roketsan's Cakir cruise missile and the Eren high-speed multi-purpose loitering munition, are also integrated into Baykar's Bayraktar Akinci UCAV.
The company said this diverse munitions inventory has given the Akinci a layered operational and strike capability spanning close-range to long-range targets.
The Akinci is a twin-engine UCAV designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance missions, as well as precision air-to-ground and air-to-air strikes and maritime security operations, including anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and coastal patrol.
The aircraft has a 20-meter wingspan, a 12.2-meter length, and a 4.1-meter height, with a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kilograms and a payload capacity of 1,500 kilograms.
It has an operational range of 6,000 kilometers, an endurance of more than 24 hours, a service ceiling of 40,000 feet, and a cruise speed between 150 and 240 knots.
The aircraft is powered by twin turboprop engines available in 450, 750, or 850 horsepower configurations and supports both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communication, along with fully autonomous takeoff, landing, and flight control.
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