Recently, you shared the second anniversary of Atak 2's first flight. Sir, what is the status of Atak 2? Because there are so many projects. Honestly, I don’t know of another aviation company besides TUSAŞ that has designed and flown this many aircraft in recent years.
Yes, you put it well. We’ve done a lot of projects to date especially in the past three years, we flew four or five platforms, four of them within a single year. That’s a huge success. But ever since I took this position, I’ve been saying that our next phase is mass productio based on demand. That forced us to prioritize. What does that mean? We're working on a 10-ton helicopter and on Atak 2, and our approach is to unify them as much as possible. Whatever can be shared will be shared. The rotor blades, rotors, transmission, avionics, rivets, bolts, paint whatever is common will be used across both. Only the fuselage might be different, seats might vary, as those must be customized anyway. In this context, once we prioritized, we saw that there’s a high likelihood that the T70 might no longer be an option for the Land Forces, and there’s a serious need across the Land Forces, Air Forces, Naval Forces, and Gendarmerie. Between 2030 and 2040, a significant number of similar helicopters will be retired due to age. Considering all this, we consulted with authorities at the SSB and the forces, and made a decision:
We will prioritize the 10-ton helicopter over Atak 2 due to the greater need. But this doesn’t mean we’re abandoning Atak 2 since they share most components, development continues. When needed, we’ll resume the remaining or updated parts of Atak 2 accordingly. But our current priority is the 10-ton helicopter. It’s 925, right? When will it make its first flight, and what are your new goals regarding it?
From the start, we targeted the first flight of the 925 for mid 2026 July or August. That hasn’t changed. Our teams are working towards this goal. Maybe it’ll shift by a month or two, which is normal. But we expect to perform the prototype’s first flight in the third quarter of 2026.
And the delivery? Deliveries are scheduled for the third quarter of 2028 no changes there. Setting these dates is important because you can plan your workforce, procurement, and production accordingly. The first flight of the firefighting helicopters for the General Directorate of Forestry is in Q3 2026, with delivery in Q3 2028.
You also made some design modifications. Can you briefly explain? Because needs evolve over time.
Two years ago, we showcased a mockup of the 10-ton. Based on updated needs assessments, it became clear that a helicopter more like the T70 one that meets most operational requirements at an optimal level is needed. So, we said, let’s build one helicopter that maximizes commonality and benefit. We discussed it again with the forces.
Instead of the helicopter from the original mockup, we evolved it into a slightly larger and heavier version of the T70 that can lift more and fly faster. We’re planning to unveil it at IDEF.
So, a rear cargo door maybe?
No rear cargo door. Let’s wait for IDEF for the details.
Any changes in the engine?
No changes. We’re proceeding with the Ukrainian engine. At the same time, a local engine project is ongoing between SSB and TEI. Hopefully, like with Gökbey, we’ll see it fly with a local engine too.
We’re aiming for Gökbey deliveries with a local engine by late 2027. We hope the same happens soon for the 10-ton as well.
www.defenceturk.net
www.savunmasanayist.com
