TAI, hit by a terrorist attack, delivers Türkiye's first homegrown multirole helicopter

Security forces on Tuesday took delivery of Türkiye’s first indigenous multi-purpose helicopter, developed by a state defense company hit by a deadly terrorist attack that shocked the nation last week.

The T625 Gökbey was officially inaugurated for use by the General Command of the Turkish Gendarmerie at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters, which was targeted by two PKK terrorists who killed five people and injured 22 others.

NATO member Türkiye has significantly reduced its dependence on external suppliers of defense equipment in recent years. It has become a leading manufacturer of armed drones for the global market and produces much of its own defense needs domestically.

The Gökbey is designed to work day and night at high altitudes and in high temperatures, even in the most challenging climates and geographical areas. It will be able to perform transport, cargo, air ambulance, search and rescue and offshore transportation tasks.

The delivery comes almost six years after the first flight. The helicopter has a total take-off weight of 6 tons, a passenger capacity of 12 and a maximum speed of 306 km/h (190 mph).

Gökbey can stay aloft for about five hours with its external fuel tank and has a maximum range of 948 kilometers (589.08 miles).

Two more helicopters are planned for the end of the year, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said a total of 20 will be delivered as part of the first phase.

They will be transferred to the Ground Forces, Air Force, Main Security Directorate, Coast Guard and Navy.

“We continue to plan the mass production of another 57 Gökbey helicopters for the needs of our Naval Forces Command,” Erdoğan told the opening ceremony in Ankara.

The helicopter is planned to be equipped with an indigenous TS1400 engine developed by TAI’s Engine Industries (TEI).

The TS1400 engine with a power of 1,400 hp was first presented in December 2020. It has a speed of 23,000 rpm and a practical ceiling of more than 6,000 meters.

“We hope that from 2028 we will equip our Gökbey helicopters with this engine,” Erdoğan said.

The Gökbey is equipped with electronic systems from Ankara-based defense electronics manufacturer Aselsan.

Aselsan said Tuesday that about 34 different electronic systems are used in the helicopter, including the flight control computer, national communications systems, identification systems, modular displays, panels and navigation systems.

TAI has also developed the T129 tactical reconnaissance and attack helicopter, Türkiye’s first domestically developed heavy attack helicopter, and the T70 general-purpose helicopter.

Air defense system ‘Steel Dome’

Meanwhile, Erdoğan said on Tuesday that Türkiye aims to have its own multi-layered air defense system “Steel Dome” soon, adding that Ankara would also increase its long-range missile capabilities.

Türkiye first announced plans for the indigenous system in August. It is planned to provide a network-centric and AI-enabled multi-platform integrated shield over large swaths of land.

“It is now much better understood how crucial our multi-layered air defense systems are to our security. If they (Israel) have an ‘Iron Dome’, we will have a ‘Steel Dome’. We will not look at them and say ‘why don’t we have this?’” Erdoğan said, without giving a specific timeline.

“We will also increase our long-range missile capabilities during this period,” he added, saying Türkiye “would not rest” until it achieved full independence in the defense industry.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system was built to intercept missiles fired into its territory. It became operational in 2011 and uses truck-towed units of radar-guided missiles to blast short-range threats such as rockets, mortars and airborne drones.

It also deployed a naval version of the Iron Dome in 2017 to protect ships and assets at sea.

Erdoğan’s comments came as Israel’s brutal attacks on Gaza and Lebanon and heightened tensions with Iran raised global concerns that a broader war could break out in the Middle East.

Officials have repeatedly emphasized the threat from Israel and even warned that its military operations could soon target Türkiye.

Türkiye has been fiercely critical of Israel’s offensives. It has halted all trade with Israel, applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court, and repeatedly called for an end to Western support for Israel, along with international measures to stop the attacks.

Türkiye has injected billions of dollars over the past two decades, transforming the country from one heavily dependent on equipment from abroad to one where homegrown systems now meet virtually all of the defense industry’s needs.

For years, Ankara has expressed frustrations over the inability of its Western allies to provide adequate defense against missile threats, despite Türkiye being a member of NATO.

The investment drive led to the development of a series of domestic air, land and sea platforms, which ultimately helped Türkiye secure billions of dollars in export deals in recent years.

That helped reduce Türkiye’s foreign dependence in the defense industry from around 80% in the early 2000s to around 20% today.