The serial prototype of the first Turkish unmanned combat aircraft Bayraktar Kizilelma successfully completed the first flight tests.
This is stated in a press release from the defense company Baykar.
The company noted that another important stage has been completed in the development process of Bayraktar Kizilelma.
In the framework of the next stage of testing, the Bayraktar Kizilelma PT-3 drone flew from the Akıncı training center in the area of the Tekirdag province in the north-west of Turkey.
Starting to the Bayraktar Kizilelma project was given in 2021. Bayraktar Kızılelma with the on-board TC-Ezb left the assembly line on November 14, 2022. He made the first flight on December 14, 2022.
The first flight was carried out in record time – about a year since the beginning of the project.
Bayraktar Kizilelma will become a platform that can revolutionize the battlefield due to its possibilities for taking off and landing with ships with a short runway. In particular, this applies to the landing ship of the TCG Anadolu project of the Turkish Navy.
In 2023, Baykar reached exports of $ 1.8 billion.