LONDON/ANKARA – May 1 looks set to be a significant day for Turkey’s aerospace industry and its biggest manufacturer Turkish Aerospace.
New aircraft rollouts are uncommon in the West these days, but Turkish Aerospace is expected to formally roll out at least three new products, including a new fighter, and reveal details on enhancements to existing types.
The events, due to be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are expected to celebrate the country’s rapid progress in aerospace capabilities, but they will also be a campaign stop for Erdogan as he canvasses for votes in Turkey’s upcoming general election to be held on May 14.
Advancing Turkey’s aviation industry has formed part of the Erdogan’s policy to make Turkey a global defense exporter, a strategy that has also enhanced sales of the T-129 ATAK helicopter, Hurkus light attack aircraft and armed uncrewed air systems, such as Anka and those produced by Baykar. The projects have energized national interest in aerospace, and lawmakers hope the projects influence new generations to study engineering and further the country’s aerospace capability.
Perhaps the most significant of the projects to be revealed is the indigenous Turkish combat aircraft, TF-X, known as MMU in Turkey.
More than a decade in the making, the prototype of the twin-engine, fifth-generation fighter undertook initial engine runs in March and could fly later this year according to Turkish Aerospace CEO Temel Kotil speaking in January.
Turkey began working on the fighter project in the late 2000s, with the Turkish Air Force opting for a twin-engine design around 2015. TAI secured a partner in the form of BAE Systems to support design of the aircraft in 2017, and metal was cut on the first components for the aircraft in April 2021.
Turkish Aerospace officials claim that around 80-85% of the aircraft is indigenous, and largely International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-free. Along with the fighter development, an ecosystem of local suppliers has grown up to support it, although prototypes and likely early batches will be powered by General Electric’s F110 engine. Turkish engineers are familiar with the powerplant, which is license-built in-country as part of the local manufacture of Lockheed Martin F-16s - the type that the TF-X is envisaged to replace.
The project appears to have taken on more of a priority since Turkey was booted from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter after Ankara’s purchase of a Russian ground-based air defense system.
Ankara is hoping local industry can step up and produce a national fighter engine to power the TF-X, potentially with a foreign partner in the coming years.
According to Turkish Aerospace, seven TF-X prototypes will support development of the aircraft, with first deliveries to the Turkish Air Force planned in 2028.
One of the other platforms due to be unveiled is the Anka-3 - a flying-wing jet-powered uncrewed combat air vehicle.
Little is known about the aircraft, but the aircraft continues the family of Anka medium-altitude uncrewed air systems (UAS).
Previous iterations of the Anka include the single-engine medium-altitude, long-endurance platform, and the twin-engine Aksungur development of Anka, which has been referred to as Anka 2.
Anka-3 is believed to be Turkish Aerospace’s answer to competitor Baykar Kizilelma project to develop an uncrewed fighter aircraft that could partially replace manned combat aircraft.
Although the air system appears to have features like other low-observable UCAVs including a serrated dorsal intake, the unidentified engine’s exhaust is more conventional and protrudes from the rear of the fuselage.
The aircraft also features several protrusions on the upper surfaces that would betray its low-observable characteristics including what appears to be a cooling inlet and associated outlets, however these could be features of early prototypes only and designed out of production versions.
Ahead of the leading edge of both are a pair of pitot tubes and two external stores, likely bombs, both of which would likely belie the platform’s stealthy characteristics. Furthermore, little is known about TAI’s efforts in developing flight control systems for flying wing and tailless air systems.
Turkish Aerospace published imagery of the Anka-3 performing slow-speed taxi tests under its own power on April 26, and Kotil said earlier in March that the aircraft would fly soon.
Also, due to be revealed is the first prototype of the ATAK-2 Heavy Class Attack Helicopter, the latest rotary-wing platform yet developed by the company. Development of the 10-metric ton, twin-engine, Motor Sich TV3-117-powered attack helicopter began in 2019 with the aircraft expected to complement rather than replace the T-129 ATAK - a Turkish development of the Italian AW129 Mangusta - which is currently in service with the Turkish Army and Jandarma military police. Images of the ATAK-2 making its first hop flight appeared online on April 28, following engine runs on April 26.
The company is also likely to show off its re-engined T625 Gokbey utility helicopter. The T625 was originally designed with the Honeywell/Rolls-Royce developed LHTEC T800, but Turkish aero-engine company, TUSAS Engine Industries (TEI) has developed a drop-in alternative turboshaft, the 1,400shp TS1400 which should allow the helicopter to be more easily exported. Development of the TS1400 was originally scheduled to last eight years but was accelerated as political relations with the U.S. deteriorated with Turkish industry fearing hold ups in potential exports of the T625 with the T800 engine.
Similar issues have held up exports to Pakistan of Turkish Aerospace’s T129 attack helicopter which also uses the T800. The first flight of the Gokbey with the TS1400 took place on April 22.
Turkish Aerospace also achieved the first flight of its first jet-powered aircraft, the Hurjet advanced jet trainer on April 25, ahead of the May 1 event.
The General Electric F404-powered supersonic-capable aircraft, made a 26-minute-long flight, achieving speeds of 250kts and reaching an altitude of 14,000 ft in the hands of chief test pilot Ercan Celik.
The internally developed Hurjet follows on from Turkish Aerospace’s development of the Hurkus turboprop trainer, which has also been turned into a light attack aircraft.
Hurjet bears a resemblance to other new jet trainer platforms including, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle and has been developed initially targeting a Turkish Air Force need to replace its Northrop T-38 Talons and the F-5 Freedom Fighters used by the country’s national aerobatic team, the Turkish Stars. Some 12 orders have already been secured from the Turkish Air Force for the aircraft. Export opportunities will also be pursued. Company officials have previously described the Hurjet as an indicator of the company’s increasingly advanced capabilities, and a crucial stepping stone toward the development of the T-FX fighter.
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