The fourth Gökbey, Turkey's first homegrown multirole helicopter, has taken off for the first time, the head of the company developing the aircraft said late Tuesday.
Temel Kotil, head of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), made the related statement via his Twitter account.
He shared photos of the Gökbey during tests with a caption that read: “I am happy to share with you the test flights of our 4th #GÖKBEY, which took off for the first time. I would like to thank all my valuable colleagues who work day and night. We will always continue to work for more.”
The Gökbey T625 is being developed as part of the Original Helicopter Program, coordinated by the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).
The twin-engine, six-ton-class aircraft designed for high mission flexibility even in the toughest of geographical environments and adverse weather conditions are being developed in response to growing market demand for higher mission flexibility in this class.
The T625 prototype was previously powered by a pair of LHTECs and CTS800 4-AT turboshaft engines that have 1,373 shaft horsepower each, created in a joint Rolls-Royce and Honeywell partnership.
The chopper will soon be powered by a domestically produced engine manufactured by TAI subsidiary TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI).
The second prototype of the first domestic helicopter engine TEI-TS1400, the TS4, was successfully started in January 2021, following the initial operation of the first prototype.
The turboshaft TEI-TS1400 engine has been tailored to the Gökbey.
