ANKARA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's unmanned Bayraktar Akinci B combat drone has set a national aviation record by flying to new heights, its developer company said Thursday.
Akinci flew at an altitude of 45,118 feet (13,752 meters) during a test flight, breaking the record for the highest altitude of a national aircraft, Turkey's English newspaper Daily Sabah reported.
The aircraft is developed by Baykar company under the leadership of Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries.
"Yet again, the Bayraktar AKINCI broke another national altitude record! It broke its own previous record again for an altitude achieved by a native-made aircraft" in Turkey, Baykar announced on Twitter.
Akinci took off on Tuesday to perform endurance, high altitude and high speed tests, and flew 20 hours and 23 minutes covering 6,406 km, according to the newspaper.
The drone previously reached an altitude of 40,170 feet (12,244 meters) in an earlier test flight on March 11.
Akinci, which has two 750 horsepower engines for a total of 1,500 horsepower, entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces in 2021.
Baykar company has been exporting its drones since 2012. ■
