ADANA, Türkiye 

ANKA III, a new Turkish unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed and produced by Turkish Aerospace Inc (TAI), made its public debut at Türkiye's premier technology and aviation event TEKNOFEST on Thursday.

The aircraft made a flight together with TAI's advanced jet trainer aircraft HURJET and basic trainer aircraft HURKUS.

Türkiye's first vertical tailless turbofan-engine UCAV ANKA III was designed to operate at 40,000 feet, reach a speed of Mach 0.7, and stay airborne for up to 10 hours, with a take-off weight of approximately seven tons.

While its works began in 2022, it successfully completed its maiden flight in December 2023, following its first engine run conducted in March 2023.

The five-day TEKNOFEST, which kicked off on Wednesday, hosts airshows conducted by several homegrown aircraft.