TR Attack & Utility Helicopter Programs

[Bogeyman]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1722243403264778681

GÖKBEY successfully completed two more tests.

20 thousand ft. It flew at altitude and reached its maximum service altitude.
It also successfully passed the single engine test during the flight, which was carried out with a twin engine.

 

[Zafer]

Soaring season for Turkish aviation; Kaan should follow suit or Anka3 will overtake already.

 

[Ecderha]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1722243403264778681

GÖKBEY successfully completed two more tests.

20 thousand ft. It flew at altitude and reached its maximum service altitude.
It also successfully passed the single engine test during the flight, which was carried out with a twin engine.

Put SOUND ON

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1722244892829839434

Translation for english:

I will dig through the mountains for you and make way for you
I will dry the seas for you
I would smash the sky to the ground for you

 

[Fairon]

Latest Gokbey tests are good and all but isn't it bit late? Gokbey supposed to be delivered couple of years ago but now we learn that altitude tests are just being done.

Am I missing something?

I don't know about the all testing process so where are we at the moment(considering the altitude tests are conducting now)? Can we make a guess?

 

[Baryshx]

Which engine is the Gökbey helicopter being tested with right now?

Mehmet Demiroğlu, Deputy General Manager of TAI Helicopters, answered Defence Turk's questions on the latest status of TAI's helicopter projects and its future targets. Demiroğlu made the following statements on the use of indigenous engines in GÖKBEY

"We will be giving three (GÖKBEY helicopters) to the Gendarmerie within this year, but the engine is the CTS800 engine, which we purchased from LHTECH, a Honeywell-Rolls Royce partnership, and which we use in both the ATAKs and GÖKBEY. We are about to complete our development activities with these, and we will make our deliveries with these. In parallel to this, work on our indigenous TS1400 engine is also continuing rapidly. As you know, two weeks ago, we left behind a very important stage; for the first time in Turkiye, we flew our own platform with our own engine. This is a great achievement, and it is a double achievement for me, because I was in charge of the engine project before, and now we are continuing with GÖKBEY. It was a very honorable thing to have seen the success of both of them, to have seen them fly.

The development and certification phase will continue a little longer. The qualification and certification of the TS1400 will continue; during that period of time, we will be making our deliveries with the CTS800 we are currently using. Whenever the certification is finished, we will start our deliveries with the TS1400 as soon as we decide that it is ready for delivery.

Mehmet Demiroğlu pointed to 2026 as the delivery date for GÖKBEY with indigenous engines:

"Many things are going a bit slowly because they have not been done before, and this is also the case with the engine. I hope that by the end of 2025, we will have either finished or almost finished these engines. In 2026, our estimate is to start the delivery of our GÖKBEYs with our indigenous engines that have received certification. The friends at TEI may be able to shorten this, but we will see."

Yerli motorlu GÖKBEY helikopteri için ilk teslimatlar 2026'da başlıyor

TUSAŞ Helikopter Genel Müdür Yardımcısı Mehmet Demiroğlu yerli motorlu GÖKBEY'in teslimat tarihi için 2026 yılını işaret etti.

www.defenceturk.net

 

[Trb5p]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1722243403264778681

GÖKBEY successfully completed two more tests.

20 thousand ft. It flew at altitude and reached its maximum service altitude.
It also successfully passed the single engine test during the flight, which was carried out with a twin engine.

Hello, have a good week everyone.
Do you know whether these tests were carried out with the domestic engine TEI TS-1400 or LHTEC T800? If the tests are carried out with the domestic engine TEI TS-1400, this is a huge positive progress.

 

[Zafer]

Hello, have a good week everyone.
Do you know whether these tests were carried out with the domestic engine TEI TS-1400 or LHTEC T800? If the tests are carried out with the domestic engine TEI TS-1400, this is a huge positive progress.

They wouldn't test two unproven systems togather. This should be a test of the helicopter alone with a proven engine.

 

[Bogeyman]

GÖKBEY helicopter has completed 700 flight hours and is on its way to its first mission.

According to the information received by the AA correspondent, the testing and certification activities of the GÖKBEY general purpose helicopter, the original project of Turkish Aerospace Industries, continue successfully.

In this context, speed and altitude tests were recently carried out with the GÖKBEY helicopter, which passed important milestones one by one.

GÖKBEY completed a successful test by reaching its maximum service altitude of 20 thousand feet for the first time. Engine performance tests have been completed. During the 1-hour tests, GÖKBEY helicopter flew at this altitude with both twin engines and single engines. Thus, an important safe flight requirement has been successfully completed.

Within the scope of the GÖKBEY Program, a total of 700 flight test hours were reached with 3 prototype helicopters.

Military versions of the helicopter will be delivered to users after military certification and qualification processes. The civil version will be offered to civilian users with a type certificate to be issued by the General Directorate at the end of the civil certification process carried out with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation.

In this regard, 3 GÖKBEYs will be delivered to the Gendarmerie General Command soon.

The national engine is also being prepared

The Unique Helicopter Program Agreement was signed in 2013 to meet the general purpose helicopter needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and other institutions. GÖKBEY helicopter, developed within the scope of the contract signed between the Presidency of Defense Industries and Turkish Aerospace Industries, made its first flight on September 6, 2018.

GÖKBEY successfully completed its first test flight with TS1400 turboshaft engines developed and produced by TEI with national resources on April 19, 2023.

Due to its wide range of missions, GÖKBEY will be able to perform transportation, VIP, cargo, air ambulance, search and rescue and offshore transportation duties.

For domestic and foreign users in need, the GÖKBEY helicopter will be able to perform its duties effectively in the most challenging climates and geographies, at high altitudes and temperatures, and under day and night conditions, with its national TS1400 turboshaft engines.

GÖKBEY helikopteri 700 uçuş saatini devirdi, ilk görevine yol alıyor

Türkiye'nin ilk özgün helikopteri GÖKBEY, zorlu testleri birer birer geride bırakarak ilk görevi için gün sayıyor.

gdh.digital

 

[Kaan Azman]

Since we got to see the firing tests of LUMTAS-GM and the missile has so much in common with baseline UMTAS in terms of interface, I guess T129 ATAK could benefit from the missile with a semi-standoff attack capability which might get important for both west and east side considering the air defence capabilities of adversaries.

T129 ATAK Model is from TUSAŞ because some METU problems at the moment

 

[Quasar]

TS1400 Accessory Gearbox by Alp havacılık

These gearboxes will be used in GÖKBEY with the transition to domestic engines with the 35th helicopter in the second half of 2025. • At the end of this first major design project of Alp Aviation, it received an order for 30 sets of gearboxes

https://x.com/gooksel/status/1730552208716976454?s=20

 

[cr33pt3d]

so that means:
2024 something like 12 platforms
2025 by august 16 platforms, all with Lhtec.
end of 2025 8 Gokbey with TS1400 (from sep to dec)
seems like we will order a shitload in different configuration of Gokbey.
Guess we can expect export contracts to be signed early 2025 for deliveries with TS1400 by late 2026 early 2027.

 

[Oublious]

A short video of the testbench for the gearboxes of Alp havacilik. According to ALP aerospace ther is 3 testbenchs for gearboxes in the world and this 1 of them.

 

[Bogeyman]

4 AVCI-2 Helmet integrated control systems have entered the Turkish Armed Forces inventory.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1732689644662161683

 

[Slayer]

View attachment 63657

4 AVCI-2 Helmet integrated control systems have entered the Turkish Armed Forces inventory.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1732689644662161683

Looks like alien tech but not comfy to wear.

 

[Sanchez]

View attachment 63657

4 AVCI-2 Helmet integrated control systems have entered the Turkish Armed Forces inventory.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1732689644662161683

Wonder how different Avcı 2 is from TopOwl in capabilities and in indigenousness compared to the original.

 

[zio]

enough is enough for tb2

 

[Sanchez]

Interesting that the third JNGK T625 is yet to see the sunlight. And 2 months left until end of the year.

3rd bird is still missing and delivery of 3 JNGK T625s are delayed to 2024. Current delay is 1.5-2 years.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1741150694206328940

 

[boredaf]

3rd bird is still missing and delivery of 3 JNGK T625s are delayed to 2024. Current delay is 1.5-2 years.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1741150694206328940

Gökbey delivery situation has been a really big disappointment for me, it feels like another case of overpromising and underdelivering.

 

[Sanchez]

Gökbey delivery situation has been a really big disappointment for me, it feels like another case of overpromising and underdelivering.

I'm not that pessimist about it, because unlike HvKK projects, JNGK actually signed for and wants to buy much more T625s. They will eventually be delivered, and to be frank JNGK doesn't have the resources for another helicopter anyhow. But, like all others, T625 too is slowly becoming a lesson on disadvantages of overpromising.

 

[Fuzuli NL]

Considering the fact that we are relatively very new to producing any of these platform also taking in consideration that TAI and TEI are working on multiple projects at the same time some of which are very demanding, and to have had marginal successes in exporting many platforms while the demand and interest from potential customers is increasing. And so far some first flights and deliveries happened in record times, these delays are really nothing given that we're basically working on them under multiple embargoes from our supposed allies.
Kudos to TAI, TEI, Aselsan, Havelsan and all participant companies for working over hours to achieve wonderful state-of-the-art platforms.

Happy and fruitful 2024, everyone!