Turkish Military Drone Bayraktar Kizilelma Makes Maiden Flight

The maiden flight of Bayraktar Kizilelma, an unmanned military aircraft developed by Turkish defense company Baykar, took place on Wednesday in the northwest of the country, the chairman and chief technologist of the firm said.

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2022) The maiden flight of Bayraktar Kizilelma, an unmanned military aircraft developed by Turkish defense company Baykar, took place on Wednesday in the northwest of the country, the chairman and chief technologist of the firm said.

"We could not keep it anymore on the ground. It flew," Selcuk Bayraktar said on Twitter, posting a video of the drone taking off.

The first full-fledged flights are scheduled for early 2023. The drone is capable of flying at a speed of about 630 kilometers per hour (390 miles per hour) at an altitude of up to 11 kilometers (7 miles) with a flight time of about five hours.

The jet-powered Bayraktar Kizilelma was first unveiled in August in the Turkish city of Samsun, as part of the Teknofest Karadeniz aerospace festival. The aircraft will be able to take off from ships with a short runway, including the Turkish navy's flagship, TCG Anadolu.