TUSAŞ Motor Sanayii (TEI) is preparing to deliver domestically produced aviation engines to the manufacturers of the GÖKBEY helicopter and KIZILELMA aircraft, according to comments by the company’s general manager, Mahmut Faruk Akşit, during the TEKNOFEST festival in Türkiye’s Şanlıurfa province.
GÖKBEY Engine Approaches Final Certification
Akşit said that the TEI-TS1400 engine had reached the level of maturity required for flight after a large number of units were produced and tested, and that GÖKBEY had already conducted test flights with the domestic engine. However, the helicopter’s transition to serial production and its delivery to customers or induction into inventory await completion of the type certificate, which he described as the final stage of the certification process.
TEI is currently conducting parallel tests on eight different engines in support of this process. This means that the engine’s technical progress does not eliminate the need for additional tests before the regulatory authority permits full operational use.
Initial Delivery of the TF6000 Engine to the BAYKAR Team
Akşit explained that the TEI-TF6000 jet propulsion engine had been run and subjected to a large number of tests, and that the company’s team considered it to have reached flight maturity. If no obstacles arise, TEI plans to deliver the engine to the BAYKAR team at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.
As for the TEI-TF10000 engine, which follows the TF6000 in the program, the company aims to operate it before the end of 2027. The statements cited in the source did not specify a timeline for the full operational integration or final certification of these two engines.
What Is Changing in Practice?
The statements show that some Turkish engine programs are moving from development and testing to platform deliveries and regulatory certification. For GÖKBEY, completion of the type certificate represents the primary gateway before operational production with the domestic engine. For KIZILELMA, delivering the engine to the BAYKAR team opens a phase of integration and testing on the platform, but by itself does not establish the aircraft’s operational readiness.
TEI also announced that the number of its research and development employees had increased over the past ten years from approximately 80 to 90 people to between 1,200 and 1,300, while the total engineering team working on engine development is approaching 2,000 engineers. As part of the reorganization of this activity, a portion of the team was separated under the name TEITECH to develop fully state-owned military and strategic engines, including the engine for the national combat aircraft and a new heavy helicopter engine.
Exports and Operating Hours of Unmanned-Aircraft Engines
The company said that its exports to a technologically advanced country whose name was not disclosed at the customer’s request were continuing, and that it had begun discussions in recent months with a new customer in another country. It confirmed that the number of products, export destination, and sales method are subject to the approval of the state and the relevant authorities.
In the sector of engines used on unmanned aircraft, TEI engines installed on the Bayraktar TB3, AKSUNGUR, and ANKA platforms had accumulated a total of 20,000 flight hours. Akşit added that the company had surpassed production of 100 engines this year, with figures expected to reach the range of 200 engines within a short period.