YIHA-III

YIHA-III
YIHA-III at the Kuçovë Air Base in Albania.
General information
Type	UAV
Role	Loitering munition
National origin	Turkey
Manufacturer	Baykar
Status	In service
Primary users	Turkey Pakistan Albania Ukraine
Number built	Unknown
History
In service	Since 2023

Overview

The existence of the YIHA-III was first unveiled in 2023 during a visit by the Commander of the Turkish Air Force at the NASTP Alpha facility in Rawalpindi. However, scarce public information was available on it.^[4] The drone eventually came into public view in early 2024 after reports emerged of "mystery drones" which were sighted striking Russian military infrastructure in Belgorod during the war in Ukraine.^[5] The YIHA features an UMTAS ATGM warhead fitted to a tubular body with a fixed tricycle style landing gear which enables it to launch from a runway as well as a catapult system. After launch, the drone can loiter in the air, detecting a target, and then attack it from the air with a vertical dive. The drone can also be used in swarm mode.^[6]

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Combat use

Summarize

Perspective

Russo-Ukraine war

In February 2024, reports emerged of a "mystery drone" used by Ukrainian forces to strike targets inside the Russian city of Belgorod, which is approximately 40km from the Ukrainian border. Further analysis of pictures of the drone's debris later revealed it was a YIHA-III.^[2]^[1]

Syrian civil war

The Turkish military has utilized the YIHA drone against High-value targets during operations in Northern Syria.^[1]

Pakistan

The YIHA drones in service with the Pakistan Air Force have been deployed in anti-terrorist operations. In 2024, the Pakistan Armed Forces carried out Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar in which they targeted terrorist hideouts located in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province.^[1]

In May 2025, many YIHA drones were deployed in combat missions against various Indian military targets both in Indian Administered Kashmir and mainland India as part of Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos. ^[7] The Indian military claimed it had shot down more than 400 "Byker" YIHA-III kamikaze drones.^[8]

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Operators

Albania: On October 10th 2024. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that Turkey will donate "a significant number of kamikaze drones" to Albania, on the sidelines of a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his official visit to Tirana. Rama did not specify the number of drones, but emphasised that "no one should be concerned about who will strike Albania, but in the context of our relations, it is a gift from Turkey. Rama also said that the acquisition of an unspecified number of Turkish kamikaze drones does not mean “Albania will attack anyone." A spokesperson for the government contacted by Reuters was unable to provide any further details on the number or type of drones. . On March 2025. The Albanian Minister of Defense has posted video on their youtube channel where the AAF were operating the Byker YIHA-III.^[9]First units are Deployed at Kuçovë Aerodrome.^[10]
- Albanian Air Force
Pakistan: Locally manufactures the drone. Operationalized with the airforce in early 2024 at PAF Base Murid.^[11]^[12]^[13]
- Pakistan Air Force