Türkiye’s homegrown helicopter receives $1B proposal

The offer includes buying 32 helicopters

Turkish-made Gökbey helicopter received a $1 billion export proposal, according to the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager.

The helicopter is a twin-engine light transport and utility aerial vehicle developed by TAI.

The country that has submitted the offer, which includes 32 helicopters, has not been disclosed by Temel Kotil.

Such a sale would be a significant prestige boost for Türkiye and could potentially open doors for similar exports in the future.

Under the contract signed between the Presidency of Defense Industries and TAI, the Gökbey helicopter successfully completed its maiden flight in 2018, TRT Haber reported.

Previously, Ankara had exported ATAK helicopters, which were jointly developed by Türkiye and Italy, to the Philippines, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Gökbey, with its total take-off weight of approximately 6 tons and a capacity of 12 passengers, can be utilized for a wide range of tasks, including general-purpose transportation, VIP transport, cargo transport, air ambulance services, search and rescue missions and offshore transportation.

It boasts a flight endurance of about 4 hours and a maximum range of 948 kilometers. Notably, Gökbey is expected to be introduced into the inventory of the Gendarmerie General Command in Türkiye, with plans to deliver a total of 100 Gökbeys to this organization.

By Breaking News Turkey

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