Türkiye’s Akıncı drone completes supersonic missile firing test

The Bayraktar Akıncı, Türkiye’s pioneering combat drone, completed Wednesday the UAV-122 supersonic missile firing test, its maker Baykar announced through a social media post accompanied by video footage of the test.

Developed by Roketsan, the UAV-122 missile is highly precise, has rapid firepower support, low/high altitude orbit options and is highly maneuverable.

Baykar’s chief technology officer, Selçuk Bayraktar, shared the footage of the firing test conducted by Bayraktar Akıncı with a UAV-122 missile on his account on the X platform under the title “Golden Age of Turkish Aviation.”

Murat Ikinci, general manager of Roketsan, also said on X: “We proudly progress on the path drawn with our national technology.”

“Our UAV-122 missile successfully completed the firing test conducted from Akıncı UAV. I congratulate everyone involved,” he added.

First delivered to armed forces in late August 2021, Akıncı is Türkiye’s most advanced and sophisticated drone that has accumulated 40,000 flight hours.

It has achieved a record in flight altitude for Türkiye and multiple export deals, including the biggest defense contract in the country’s history, which was agreed upon with Saudi Arabia last year.

Its latest variant, Bayraktar Akıncı C, completed its debut flight with new and more robust engines last month.

Baykar is Türkiye’s biggest defense exporter, having made sales worth nearly $1.8 billion in 2023, out of the country’s total of $5.5 billion.