Akinci demonstrates air-to-air capability with Sungur

A Baykar Akıncı UAV equipped with a Roketsan Sungur short-range air-defence missile. (Baykar Technology)

Turkish company Baykar announced on 16 September 2026 that one of its Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had successfully fired a Roketsan Sungur air-to-air missile against an aerial target during a recent test off Sinop on Türkiye's Black Sea coast.

According to Baykar, the missile achieved a direct hit against a high-speed target UAV. The Akıncı took off from Baykar's Çorlu Flight Training and Test Centre in Tekirdağ, flew to the test area over the Black Sea, and returned to Çorlu after completing the firing.

The test adds Sungur to the range of domestically developed weapons that Akıncı has demonstrated against aerial targets.

In June 2025 Baykar said an Akıncı had used the company's Kemankeş 1 artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted mini cruise missile to successfully engage airborne targets. Akıncı subsequently achieved a direct hit against a target UAV using Roketsan's Eren multi-purpose loitering munition during a test off Sinop in February 2026, Baykar said.

Sungur was developed by Roketsan as a short-range air-defence missile. According to the company, it has a maximum range of 8 km and uses an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker for terminal guidance. Roketsan now lists land, naval, and unmanned aerial platforms among the missile's launch options, with the Akıncı firing demonstrating the weapon in an air-launched configuration.

Unlike Sungur, neither Kemankeş 1 nor Eren was developed exclusively for engaging aerial targets, and both are also capable of attacking targets on the ground.

Roketsan describes Eren as being capable of engaging low-speed aircraft as well as armoured and unarmoured ground targets. The weapon is powered by a turbojet and incorporates electro-optical/IIR guidance and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead.