Turkey's first domestically made fighter jet successfully completed its maiden flight, and a new video captured the moment for the new fifth-generation aircraft. It's a major step forward for Turkey's efforts to acquire a fifth-generation fighter. The country was previously kicked out of the US-led F-35 program in 2019 as a consequence for purchasing S-400 air-defense systems from Russia. Turkey's aim is to field fifth-generation fighter jets that will eventually replace the country's F-16 fleet. Wednesday's flight heralds a promising step forward for Turkey, especially after it was expelled from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

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Persons: —, Turkey's, yerli, Temel Kotil, Recep Erdogan, Samuel King Jr, Fielding Organizations: Service, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Turkish Air Force, Eglin Air Force Base, US Air Force, senior Defense Department, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Turkey, Russian, NATO, Turkish