Turkey’s first unmanned fighter jet, Bayraktar Kizilelma, completed another historic test, locking onto a target F-16 and achieving a direct hit in a simulated firing test conducted with the national air-to-air missile Gokdogan, its developer, Baykar said Thursday, reports Daily Sabah.

According to a statement from Baykar, the Bayraktar Kizilelma, developed indigenously and with the company's own resources, has successfully navigated another critical milestone that will prove its effectiveness on the battlefield.

Taking off from the Akinci Flight Training and Test Center in Corlu in Tekirdag Province, the homegrown unmanned combat aircraft conducted a one-hour, 45-minute flight at an average altitude of 15,000 feet, performing a close encounter with F-16s and verifying the integration of the national radar and munitions.

This flight brings the Bayraktar Kizilelma's total flight time during the tests to over 55 hours, the company said. Two Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets participated in the Bayraktar Kizilelma-Gokdogan armed flight and Murad AESA Radar performance test, it added.

One of the F-16s performed close formation flying with the Kizilelma, demonstrating the platform’s compatibility with manned fighter aircraft, while the other F-16 acted as the “target aircraft” within the test scenario.