Turkish defense company Baykar Technology announced that its Kizilelma fighter drone carried out its first flight, ahead of schedule, on Wednesday.
Kizilelma, which means “red apple” in Turkish, is officially known as the National Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle System. It can carry a 1.5-ton payload and has a combat range of 930 km (580 miles) on internal fuel, according to company-issued technical specifications. The current prototype has a cruising speed of 0.6 Mach (457 mph) and can reach maximum speeds of 0.9 Mach (680 mph) but a future version, Kizilelma-B, will fly at supersonic speeds.
Baykar said the aircraft will be capable of taking off and landing on short-runway aircraft carriers, including the Turkish Navy’s amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu. It will be operable in tandem with piloted aircraft and able to carry out air-to-air missiles.