T129 ATAK

Turkey’s top procurement panel, the Defense Industry Executive Committee, approved nearly $6 billion in defense programs, much of it going toward indigenous development efforts, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said March 9. “Today we approved $5.9 billion worth of new defense projects. Around $4.5 billion worth of these projects will consist of local production,” Davutoglu said after the […]

The Turkish army has received its first nine-strong fleet of Turkish Aerospace Industries T129 ATAK helicopters, the last of which was delivered on 31 July. The initial batch of the army’s new AgustaWestland AW129 Mangusta-derived rotorcraft is already operational, TAI says, which touts it as “the most advanced combat helicopter in its class”. TAI started […]

Two Turkish defense companies are ambitiously seeking to export their attack helicopters and a medium-weight tank, chasing deals in Poland and Indonesia. At the IDEF ’15 show in Istanbul May 5-8, Turkey’s aerospace powerhouse Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) signed two memorandums of understanding with Polish companies, MESKO and WCBKT, to cooperate on KRUK, Poland’s […]

Turkey has deployed the first locally-made attack helicopters to the country’s southeast, the military announced Monday. Two T129 ATAK helicopters have been sent to Siirt province to back up operations against the outlawed PKK. The two-crew aircraft, which can cruise at 269 kilometers per hour (167 miles per hour) and carry an arsenal of Hellfire […]

Turkey’s International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) used to be a platform for foreign manufacturers to showcase their weapon systems. The Turks examined them and contracts often followed. But at IDEF 2013, Turkish firms exhibited their indigenous systems, so far with little or no success, to secure foreign deals. At this month’s IDEF, they’ll try again […]

The Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) is to embark on a comprehensive modernisation plan to enhance the capabilities of both its fixed- and rotary-winged combat fleets, a senior officer disclosed on 22 January. Speaking at the IQPC International Military Helicopter conference in London, Colonel Salah Al Mansoor, Head of Planning, HQ, RBAF, said that the […]

The Pakistan-Turkey defense industrial relationship continues to deepen with more bilateral projects being promoted and undertaken such as aircraft, ships and tanks. “As a matter of policy, we encourage Turkish industry to broaden their business activity and defense cooperation with Pakistan,” said a senior official with Turkey’s Under Secretariat for Defence Industries. “Not only do […]

The Turkish General Staff has announced that the first five attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopters have been added to its arsenal during a presentation of the choppers to the press. The first five choppers were presented to the public at the Land Forces Aviation Command located in Güvercinlik Military Airport in Ankara. Speaking to the […]

Turkish Aerospace Industries hopes to complete delivery by year-end of its initial batch of nine T129A attack helicopters for the nation’s land forces. Developed from the AgustaWestland AW129 under Turkey’s ATAK programme, so far four of the rotorcraft have been handed over in an initial operating capability configuration. This features a 20mm cannon and unguided […]

A police investigation into the deadly Iran-backed Tawhid-Salam terror network has uncovered that Turkey’s defense secrets were handed over to Iranian agents. A flash drive seized from the prime suspect in the case, Hüseyin Avni Yazıcıoğlu, revealed detailed intelligence reports gathered on Turkey’s defense projects. A document pulled from the flash drive on Dec. 2, […]