Turkey successfully tests locally-made armed drone

Turkey's latest locally-made armed drone, equipped with the smart technology, was successfully tested in northwestern Turkey, its Istanbul-based manufacturer said Friday.

Baykar Makina said its Bayraktar Akıncı (Raider) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle stayed in the air for 16 minutes after completing a fully-automatic taxi and takeoff.

It also successfully implemented its first fully-automatic landing at Çorlu Airport Base Command in Tekirdağ province. Its first engine test of the vehicle was made in September.

The newly-designed unmanned vehicle system is expected to be used for strategic military tasks.