The Turkish defence and aviation industry is crowning its vision of localisation in air platforms with one of the largest elements of the military. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) announced that it has successfully completed the sixth delivery of the T625 GÖKBEY, Türkiye's first national general-purpose helicopter. According to the statement made on the company's official channels, this delivery marks the first GÖKBEY to enter the inventory of the Land Forces Command (KKK). Following the previous deliveries to the General Command of Gendarmerie, the integration of the platform into a massive air power such as the Land Forces stands out as a significant strategic step. Furthermore, with this latest delivery, TAI increased the total number of helicopters it has produced and delivered to security forces to 134, once again proving that it is a global manufacturer.
Tactical and Technical Superiorities of the T625 GÖKBEY
The mission profile of the Land Forces Command encompasses extreme climatic conditions and high-altitude mountainous terrain. TAI engineers designed the GÖKBEY helicopter from scratch specifically to operate seamlessly under these challenging geographical conditions (High and Hot).
Looking at the platform's technical architecture, we see multi-role operational flexibility. The GÖKBEY helicopter can be converted into air ambulance, search and rescue, cargo transport, and VIP transport configurations within minutes, in addition to its standard personnel transport mission. The vehicle features an ASELSAN-signed glass cockpit and digital avionics systems, radically reducing pilot workload. Furthermore, the helicopter's aerodynamic rotor design and landing gear architecture allow it to safely land even on the most challenging terrain. This wealth of equipment transforms GÖKBEY from merely a transport vehicle into a digital operations centre for commanders in the field.
A Massive Production Memory of 134 Helicopters
Unlike the automotive or maritime sectors, producing rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters) requires immense engineering and metallurgical expertise. The emphasis on the "134th helicopter delivered" in the statements of TAI General Manager Dr. Mehmet Demiroğlu shows how strongly Türkiye has built this industrial memory.
TAI directly transferred the production, integration, and testing experience gained from the T129 ATAK attack helicopter project to the GÖKBEY project. The Turkish Land Forces are progressively phasing out older generation helicopters (such as the UH-1) that are currently in its inventory and approaching the end of their structural life. GÖKBEY, as a platform with its entire logistics supply chain located domestically, fills this gap. Our military gains the freedom to immediately maintain its own helicopter and redeploy it to the front line without waiting for spare parts or being subject to export embargoes from foreign countries.
Full Independence and Export
The entry of the T625 GÖKBEY into the inventory of the Land Forces Command, one of the world's few major military powers, officially certifies the platform's engineering maturity on the international stage. As stated by Dr. Mehmet Demiroğlu, seeing the field application of national engineering provides a direct and uninterrupted contribution to the capabilities of the security forces.
The most critical phase of the upcoming process is the power group (engine). With the integration of the domestic and national TS1400 turboshaft engine, developed by TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI), into the GÖKBEY platforms, the final foreign restriction on the helicopter will be completely eliminated. With the localisation of the power group as well, Türkiye will not only supply these platforms, produced with its own engine, its own avionics, and its own design, to its own military. With GÖKBEY, Türkiye will open a massive multi-billion dollar export lane in the global general-purpose helicopter market, unshakeably raising its dominance in the sector.
