Turkey's ANKA III unmanned military aircraft successfully completed its first flight

The unmanned military aircraft flew in the air for 1 hour and 10 minutes

The Turkish Aerospace Corporation (TUSAŞ) announced that its next-generation ANKA III unmanned military aircraft successfully completed its first flight on Thursday.

"I hope that it will make a great contribution to the defense of our country with its advanced technology, design and features," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on X social network (formerly Twitter).

ANKA III was in the air for 1 hour and 10 minutes. The unmanned military aircraft, which rose to an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,438 m), reached a speed of 150 knots (277 km/h). During the flight, it was accompanied by the HÜRKUŞ main training aircraft developed by TUSAŞ and the ANKA unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to information, ANKA III can be equipped with the Şimşek-3 missile. If necessary, warheads weighing up to 35 kg can be installed on the missile. The drone, capable of carrying up to 1,200 kg, can climb to an altitude of 40,000 feet (12 km) and fly continuously for 10 hours. It can fly at a speed of about 0.8-0.9 max (272-360 meters per second). The rocket will carry out 11 different missions in the long term .

Among them missions include radio electronic warfare, electronic support and electronic attack. In addition, the missile can become a kamikaze drone.