The Turna Target Aircraft Platform, developed by Türkiye's Aerospace Center, Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ), successfully completed its first test flight on April 4, 2008, at the TUSAŞ facilities in Akıncı, using a unique turboprop engine developed by TEİ, a company operating in the design, development, and production of aircraft engines in Turkey.
Within the framework of the Cooperation Protocol signed between TUSAŞ and TEI on September 11, 2007, for the purpose of integrating domestic aircraft and engines to reduce dependence on foreign sources in the aviation sector and ensure maximum domestic benefit; 'Turna', which until now was an entirely original Target Aircraft System except for its engine, has gained a completely 'national' product identity with the original turboprop engine developed by TEI for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Following reliability tests of the turboprop engine with 90 pounds of thrust and a maximum propeller speed of 6500 rpm, it is anticipated to become the standard engine for the Turna, the first indigenous air platform to enter the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turna has been used in the training of air defense units since 2001 and has successfully completed hundreds of flight hours to date.
This unique and domestically developed solution, achieved by combining the expertise and experience of TUSAŞ and TEI in the aviation sector, is an important step towards meeting the needs of our country's aviation and aerospace industry with original solutions sourced from within the country.
