Turkey continues to cement its reputation as a top manufacturer of sophisticated combat drones.
On Wednesday, local defense firm Baykar announced the successful maiden flight of an unmanned supersonic fighter, “Kizilelma.”
The flight appeared to have occurred at the Akinci Flight Training and Test Center in northwestern Turkey.
“Our 20-year dream in our national drone adventure has come true today,” Baykar chief technical official Selcuk Bayraktar said.
The fighter-like drone will have its first full-fledged flights in 2023.
Unique Capabilities
First announced in 2021, the Kizilelma was designed with characteristics similar to manned fighter jets.
It has a 1,500-kilogram (3,306 pounds) payload capacity and can land and take off on short runways.
With a reported maximum speed of almost the speed of sound, the drone will be able to support a wide variety of air-to-ground and air-to-air missions.
The Kizilelma is powered by a single Ukrainian-designed turbofan engine, allowing it an endurance of five to six hours.
Kizilelma has been under development since 2013. Last month, Baykar wrapped up ground trials of the drone prototype.