ANKARA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish fighter drone Kizilelma carried out its maiden flight on Wednesday, Turkish defense company Baykar Technology said.
Kizilelma, officially known as the National Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle System, has a payload capacity of 1.5 tons, and the maximum distance it can cover to perform combat missions is 926 km, according to the technical specifications issued by the company.
Powered by a turbofan engine, Kizilelma can fly for up to 5 hours, and reach speeds of up to 800 kph (500 mph or Mach 0.64), the company said.
The aircraft will extend Türkiye's armed drone capabilities from land-based to naval operations. It will be capable of taking off from and landing on short-runway aircraft carriers, including the flagship-to-be amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu of the Turkish Navy.
Baykar said the aircraft will be capable of operating in tandem with piloted aircraft and will be able to carry air-to-air missiles. ■
