Turkish Aerospace to Receive First ATAK-GOKBEY Helo Engine Prototype

Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) will complete the delivery of domestic TS1400 engine to power ATAK and GÖKBEY rotorcraft, to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) this month.

Development of the Turkish TS1400 turboshaft engine began in February 2017 under TEI’s Turboshaft Engine Development Project (TEDP). It will power T129 ATAK and GÖKBEY helicopters, and HÜRKUŞ training aircraft.

Although the basic structure of the engine powering the helicopters will be similar, there may be some changes since ATAK is a military attack rotorcraft while GÖKBEY is a civilian chopper. “GÖKBEY is almost non-maneuverable compared to ATAK. This is a situation that affects the internal structure of the engine. A situation that affects many areas from the cooling of the turbine to the pressurization of the bearings, to the compressor inlet of the engine. At the end of the day, we will see two TS1400s, but no doubt there will be two very different TS1400s,” Kadir Doğan, part of the Turkish engine project, was quoted as saying by DefenceTurk.

The GÖKBEY currently flies with the CTS-800A turboshaft engine supplied by Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company, a joint venture between Honeywell and Rolls-Royce. TS1400 produces 100-150 horsepower more than the U.S.-made engine.

“On 22 October of the current year, we successfully started our engine (TS1400) as a full helicopter engine, including the power turbine, including the power turbine to turn the propeller of the helicopter.… The first prototype of the TS1400 will be delivered to TAI in December,” TEI General Manager and Chairman of the Board Mahmut Faruk AKŞİT said during the CAREER AND PROJECTS AT TEI event.