Turkey Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Thank you!
Ah, Turkish newswriting never ceases to amaze me... That 4t capacity they're mentioning is for the upcoming T925 10t utility helicopter and the contract is for the existing T625. Here's the interview but it's unfortunately in Turkish.What?!
"A contract worth 208 million dollars was signed with TAI for 10 helicopters that will be produced by converting domestic and national Atak-2 helicopters and have a water throwing capacity of 4 tons."
Are they going to use an attack helicopter to fight fire???
Basically he's saying that they're receiving design requirement inputs from various customers including the general directorate of forestry as an example. He says that the directorate requires a firefighting helicopter that can lift 4t of water with a helibucket.
So, basically since both T929 Attack and the T925 Utility helos are going to share the same drivetrain, they have to account for these varying requirements from the start.
This looks similar to the relationship between Mi-24 and Mi-8/17 family. potential downside tho are if the drivetrain is designed for the heavier helo become the baseline, the attack helicopter variant could potentially run into overweight issue.
That 10t value is from the specifications we've first had when the project begun. I mentioned it because they haven't released any newer data yet.
They're both likely to be quite a bit heavier now than first envisaged. For example this new attack heli was first an internally funded project before they got a contract and it was to be a 9t MTOW helicopter but then along came the requirements of the Army Aviation and now that value is around 11,5 tons. Similarly the utility heli project was born around the same time with a similar weight. But it also evolved and became quite a bit heavier due to the involvement of Army and Naval Aviation Commands from the very start.
Speaking of...
Cenk and Tayfun ballistic missiles to be soon test fired. IMO before the 14th of May:
"Roketsan, one of the world's leading technology companies, will carry out the firing tests of CENK and TAYFUN Ballistic Missiles in a very short time.
In the tests to be carried out in the Black Sea, for the first time in the history of the Republic of Turkey, ammunition with such a long range will be fired.
Rocket engines and fuels, which are the most important components of ballistic missiles, were developed entirely by Roketsan engineers with national means.
Thanks to its know-how, Roketsan is able to develop ammunition with such a long range without being stuck in the Missile Technologies Control Regime (MTCR)."
"Roketsan, one of the world's leading technology companies, will carry out the firing tests of CENK and TAYFUN Ballistic Missiles in a very short time.
In the tests to be carried out in the Black Sea, for the first time in the history of the Republic of Turkey, ammunition with such a long range will be fired.
Rocket engines and fuels, which are the most important components of ballistic missiles, were developed entirely by Roketsan engineers with national means.
Thanks to its know-how, Roketsan is able to develop ammunition with such a long range without being stuck in the Missile Technologies Control Regime (MTCR)."
@DogutCem for @DefenceTurkey
TOLGA ÖZBEK'S INTERVIEW WITH THE CHIEF TEST PILOT OF KAAN (NATIONAL COMBAT AIRCRAFT/ MMU/ TF-X) BARBAROS DEMİRBAŞ
Mr. Barbaros, you got on the aircraft, started her engines and throttled her up. What did it make you feel like?
-The aircraft gives you a lot of confidence. Especially when the canopy is closed, the visibility is great. Ergonomically speaking the LAD and its interfaces etc. are very pleasant.
It's a really big aircraft as well. Which aircraft did you get to fly before the MMU?
-I've flown with a lot of aircraft. The number exceeds 40. The majority of my flights have been with the F-4 in the Air Force Command. Later on I started flying with the F-16. I was the commander of the test fleet for 5 years. But KAAN is very pleasant. You see I'm currently flying the Hürkuş, F-16 and the Global 6000. Each and every one of these planes have a special place in my heart but KAAN makes you feel different things. Flying a Turkish aircraft is an incredibly pleasant experience. I sometimes look at its wings, I touch it and get very proud. KAAN really wants to fly. If you look at her lines, lift and control surfaces etc. It's going to be an amazing aircraft.
How many knots did you reach in the taxi tests?
-We didn't go above 15. This aircraft is more of a demonstrator for us. Hopefully we will start modifying her from June onwards and get her ready for flight. This is what we would call a technology demonstrator. We are validating the processes with this aircraft. Because there is intense production and management activities going on. There is a massive organization behind all of this. So this is essentially a trial aircraft. The second prototype which is the P1, will cover the entire envelope. We will start integrating some systems to that airframe. We will achieve 4.5th gen characteristics with our Block 10 aircraft and 5th gen by Block 20's.
What is your foresight regarding P1?
-We are expecting it to fly in 2025. I would say we are lucky and happy to have such a good team. We always managed to meet our objectives in advance of the schedule. Hopefully this won't change.
You probably have high speed taxi tests now am I right?
-We expect high speed trials to take place after November. It could take place in December as well but winter conditions, the conditions on the runway etc. there will be a lot of factors involved.
There is a lot of work left to do then.
-Yes there is. Technical preparation, safety evaluations, our maturity level in the simulator, the production and the efforts to put the aircraft on the flightline are very important. Could there be delays, yes. Seasonal conditions, supply and production could have an effect. But our plan currently is to get this aircraft ready for flight on the 27th of December.
Our viewers kept asking. I thought I would ask you as well. When you were taxiing (during her first taxi test) one engine's nozzle was closed whereas the other one was open. Did you use a single engine during that taxi? Can we hear this from you as well?
-It was our first taxi (laughs). We gave a quick decision regarding the first taxi. The aircraft had a natural pull towards the right. And since the brakes and the stick controls were limited, I used asymmetric thrust to keep the plane on the centerline. Some F-4 experience came into play. But all in all it was a very pleasant experience. Today Gökhan (the other test pilot) was much more comfortable coming in. We get better day by day.
-We started good. I thought we would be experiencing more elemental issues. We first engaged the engines, then the hydraulics, the electrical systems, the cockpit systems were always more mature. We are going well.
Mr. Barbaros, you got on the aircraft, started her engines and throttled her up. What did it make you feel like?
-The aircraft gives you a lot of confidence. Especially when the canopy is closed, the visibility is great. Ergonomically speaking the LAD and its interfaces etc. are very pleasant.
It's a really big aircraft as well. Which aircraft did you get to fly before the MMU?
-I've flown with a lot of aircraft. The number exceeds 40. The majority of my flights have been with the F-4 in the Air Force Command. Later on I started flying with the F-16. I was the commander of the test fleet for 5 years. But KAAN is very pleasant. You see I'm currently flying the Hürkuş, F-16 and the Global 6000. Each and every one of these planes have a special place in my heart but KAAN makes you feel different things. Flying a Turkish aircraft is an incredibly pleasant experience. I sometimes look at its wings, I touch it and get very proud. KAAN really wants to fly. If you look at her lines, lift and control surfaces etc. It's going to be an amazing aircraft.
How many knots did you reach in the taxi tests?
-We didn't go above 15. This aircraft is more of a demonstrator for us. Hopefully we will start modifying her from June onwards and get her ready for flight. This is what we would call a technology demonstrator. We are validating the processes with this aircraft. Because there is intense production and management activities going on. There is a massive organization behind all of this. So this is essentially a trial aircraft. The second prototype which is the P1, will cover the entire envelope. We will start integrating some systems to that airframe. We will achieve 4.5th gen characteristics with our Block 10 aircraft and 5th gen by Block 20's.
What is your foresight regarding P1?
-We are expecting it to fly in 2025. I would say we are lucky and happy to have such a good team. We always managed to meet our objectives in advance of the schedule. Hopefully this won't change.
You probably have high speed taxi tests now am I right?
-We expect high speed trials to take place after November. It could take place in December as well but winter conditions, the conditions on the runway etc. there will be a lot of factors involved.
There is a lot of work left to do then.
-Yes there is. Technical preparation, safety evaluations, our maturity level in the simulator, the production and the efforts to put the aircraft on the flightline are very important. Could there be delays, yes. Seasonal conditions, supply and production could have an effect. But our plan currently is to get this aircraft ready for flight on the 27th of December.
Our viewers kept asking. I thought I would ask you as well. When you were taxiing (during her first taxi test) one engine's nozzle was closed whereas the other one was open. Did you use a single engine during that taxi? Can we hear this from you as well?
-It was our first taxi (laughs). We gave a quick decision regarding the first taxi. The aircraft had a natural pull towards the right. And since the brakes and the stick controls were limited, I used asymmetric thrust to keep the plane on the centerline. Some F-4 experience came into play. But all in all it was a very pleasant experience. Today Gökhan (the other test pilot) was much more comfortable coming in. We get better day by day.
-We started good. I thought we would be experiencing more elemental issues. We first engaged the engines, then the hydraulics, the electrical systems, the cockpit systems were always more mature. We are going well.
