On 21 February 2026, footage and statements released by Baykar Technologies on its official X account confirmed that the Bayraktar AKINCI Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle had carried out its first successful air-to-air engagement using the EREN High-Speed Multi-Purpose Loitering Munition, destroying a target drone over the Black Sea off Sinop. The test comes at a moment when Türkiye has consolidated its position as the world’s leading exporter of armed UAVs and when allied airspace is increasingly challenged by massed kamikaze drones and cruise-missile-like threats on the eastern flank. By transforming a long-endurance strike UCAV into a cost-effective “drone killer” equipped with a turbojet-powered interceptor, Ankara has taken a visible step in rewriting the economics and tactics of air defence. For NATO planners, the demonstration points to a future in which persistent unmanned patrols complement manned fighters and ground-based air defence systems in a layered, networked shield over Alliance territory. Read Full Defense News At This Link.
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| Baykar Technologies announced that its Bayraktar AKINCI successfully shot down a target drone over the Black Sea using the EREN high-speed loitering munition, marking the platform’s first confirmed air-to-air intercept (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group / Baykar Technologies) |