The Super Simsek is a domestically developed, high subsonic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries, one of Türkiye’s principal organisations in aviation and space.
The UAV is designed as a multi-role weapon and mission system for both air and surface engagements. It can be configured with different payloads for electronic support and attack, allowing a single airframe to cover a broad set of tasks.
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Super Simsek completed its maiden flight in December 2023.
In April 2025, the system carried out its first autonomous flight test following release from the low-observable, delta-wing UAV system ANKA III.
During the sortie, the Super Simsek was mounted on an underwing pylon of the ANKA III, which deployed it at a pre-planned altitude.
After a clean separation, Super Simsek maintained a controlled autonomous flight for the remainder of the profile, which lasted for around 50 minutes. The UAV was then successfully recovered using its onboard parachute recovery system, thus concluding a successful flight test.
Super Simsek design and features
The Super Simsek UAV measures 4m in length with a 1.75m wingspan and a height of 0.75m. It boasts a maximum take-off weight of 200kg and has a payload capacity of up to 50kg.
The UAV can carry 70 litres of fuel, has a service ceiling of up to 35,000ft and can reach speeds of up to Mach 0.85 with an endurance of up to 80 minutes. The line-of-sight data link is rated to 150km, while the overall range is stated as 900km.
Super Simsek supports fully autonomous operations and can be launched either from an airborne carrier platform or via a rocket-assisted take-off method.
The craft recovery is handled by an integrated parachute and its payload can be adapted from mission to mission based on the requirements.
Mission planning can be completed pre-flight and updated in flight, supported by return-to-base and emergency modes, alongside automatic landing functions.
Encrypted flight data is recorded during the mission, and the UAV is capable of AI-supported swarming, intended to enable coordinated multi-aircraft operations.
Super Simsek payload
The payload options available for the Super Simsek include systems to alter active and passive radar cross-section, a miss distance indicator and a heated infrared signature augmenter in the nose.
The aircraft can also be fitted with an instantaneous frequency measurement receiver and an onboard jammer.
A situational awareness camera provides imagery to operators, working with a controlled reception pattern antenna, and the platform can carry a destruction system with interchangeable seeker heads.
Mission capabilities
The Super Simsek system is intended for use in contested environments, with a focus on deception and the suppression of enemy air defences. It is designed to confuse adversary sensors and degrade radar effectiveness, including the ability to mimic a larger aircraft signature, such as that of a fast jet, instead of a small UAV.
With an integrated 35kg warhead, it can also be employed as a loitering munition for one-way strike missions.
The UAV’s swarming functionality is intended to allow multiple vehicles to engage separate targets simultaneously, and it can also be used as a target drone for air defence training and evaluation.
