Turkish defense company Baykar Technology announced that its Kizilelma fighter drone carried out its first flight, ahead of schedule, on Wednesday.
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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.