Turkey’s TAI eyeing cooperation with Boeing in mid-range aircraft development

ISTANBUL

AA photo

Turkey’s TAI wants to build cooperation with Boeing in the U.S. company’s new plans to develop a mid-range aircraft, TAI President and CEO Temel Kotil said on May 8. 

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Kotil said he has already written to Boeing regarding the issue. 

“Boeing has a new plan to make a mid-range aircraft. I took the required permissions from our minister [Fikri Işık] and wrote a letter to them. We want to clinch a partnership with them,” he added.  

TAI has been the main contractor in Turkey’s national fighter aircraft development project, dubbed TF-X. 

Kotil also said the test drives of TAI’s unmanned aerial vehicle ANKA have been completed and the company has started mass production. 

“We have so far made seven ANKAs. We plan to submit them to the related units of Turkish Armed Forces,” he noted, adding that the company might submit 20 ANKAs by the end of the year. 

Kotil said TAI has so far submitted a total of 21 ATAKs, or Turkish attack helicopters, to the related authorities. 

“We plan to deliver an additional 24 ATAKs over this year and we have been working on campaigns to market the product abroad,” he added. 

Regarding the company’s indigenous trainer aircraft HÜRKUŞ, Kotil said the deliveries of this product will start by the end of 2017. 

“We will also for the first time launch our new helicopter, T-625, during the IDEF 2017 this week,” he added. 

The world’s leading defense companies will present their latest technologies and products at the 13th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) to be held between May 9 and 12 in Istanbul.

In the high-tech industry fair, nearly 800 companies from more than 50 countries are expected to present their latest equipment and systems used in the defense, security, maritime, aviation and space sectors.