Military programs are slowed down by political decisions
In recent years, the Turkish defense industry has made impressive progress in development, as evidenced by the spectacular actions of Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles in Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh. The Turkish military and political leadership sets ambitious goals to achieve self-sufficiency with almost all types of weapons and military equipment, as well as to increase defense exports from the country.
Nevertheless, the Turkish military-industrial sector remains critically dependent on imported components, components and equipment, as well as on foreign know-how and technologies. Many complex systems are created with direct participation and in partnership with foreign developers and depend on foreign competencies either completely or in the most important nodes.
If you buy it, I won't sell it
This systemic disadvantage of the Turkish military-industrial complex is most pronounced in the engine industry, demonstrating the General underdevelopment of classical engineering in Turkey. No amount of success in system integration, electronics, and the creation of a number of other new industries can compensate for the lack of engine construction, which requires a solid school of development and production and expensive well-equipped enterprises.
For Turkey, the situation is aggravated by the difficulty of accessing Western military engines or licenses and technologies for military engine construction. The reason for this is the aggravation of relations with Western countries that have subjected Turkey to various formal and informal embargoes.
As a result, all the most pretentious Turkish military-industrial programs of recent years are limited by the lack of access to engines. Turkey's attempts to develop the engine industry itself have so far been relatively unsuccessful. Both because of the lack of experience and because of the growing reluctance of Western countries to cooperate with Turkey in terms of technology transfer and licenses. In addition, foreign suppliers of engines began to restrict their re-export, making it impossible for Turkey to supply abroad military equipment of its production with imported engines.
The armor is strong, but the tanks are not fast
In particular, it is because of the lack of an engine that the start of mass production of the Turkish Altay tank (developed with the participation of the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem) is seriously hindered. Four prototypes of the Altay tank are equipped with German MTU MT 883 Ka 501 diesel engines. However, the deteriorating relations between Turkey and Germany in recent years have contributed to the desire of Turkish defense workers and the military to abandon German engines. And to develop an ambitious program for the development of tank engine production in Turkey with maximum localization, including full intellectual property rights and export rights.
In 2015, the Turkish tractor company Tümosan received a contract worth 190 million euros from the Turkish defense industry administration (SSM, now SSB) to create a diesel engine with a capacity of 1,500 to 1,800 HP for Altay with foreign technical assistance. Tümosan chose the well-known Austrian company AVL List GmbH as a partner for creating the engine and obtaining technologies. However, at the end of 2016, the Austrian government denied AVL List a license to transfer technology to Turkey. The fact is that the Austrian Parliament unanimously demanded an embargo on the supply of weapons and military technology to Turkey in view of the massive human rights violations committed by the Turkish government following the failed military coup attempt on July 15, 2016. As a result, in 2017, Tümosan was forced to terminate the cooperation agreement with AVL List, and SSM then canceled the contract with Tümosan to create the engine.
After that, Turkish contractors tried to find a new partner for the development of tank diesel among various world manufacturers. The Turkish Navy, which received a contract for the serial production of the first 250 Altay tanks, together with SSM in 2017, reached an agreement with the British company Perkins, controlled by the American Caterpillar Corporation, to master the production of an updated version of the famous Perkins CV12 tank diesel engine. It was previously used in various versions on the British Challenger 1 and 2 tanks, as well as on the t-72M4CZ tank upgraded in the Czech Republic.
At the same time, given the length of the process of mastering this engine, it was planned that the first 250 production Altay tanks would still be equipped with imported German MTU engines, and localized CV12 engines (Batu) would be used for the next series of tanks. But later, Germany refused to supply MTU engines and Renk automatic transmissions for Altay production tanks at all, and the process of transferring the license for the CV12 engine also stalled. As a result, the Altay serial production program remains in limbo until now, although the first tanks were supposed to be delivered in 2020. Now even 2022 looks too optimistic date for the start of production of the Turkish tank. "The lack of a suitable engine and transmission deprives the program of any tangible progress," a representative of the Turkish military-industrial complex said in the summer of 2020.
In this regard, the Turkish side has repeatedly considered the possibility of using the Ukrainian 6td-3 tank engine developed and produced by the Kharkiv state enterprise "Malyshev Plant" on serial Altay, but did not dare to take such an adventure. In any case, Kharkiv engines would also have to be imported.
Earlier, Germany similarly refused to re-export MTU diesel engines installed on the 155-mm t-155 Firtina self-propelled howitzers produced in Turkey (a licensed version of the South Korean K9 self-propelled gun). Thus, the export of Firtin self-propelled guns was effectively blocked – including to Azerbaijan, which has already ordered 36 systems. To solve the problem, the Turks also considered the possibility of installing Kharkiv 6td series diesels on Firtina exports.
Flights in reality
Turkish aviation programs have similar problems. In 2017, with the participation of the then British Prime Minister Theresa may, an agreement worth 100 million pounds was signed between the Turkish Kale Group and Rolls-Royce to create a joint venture to develop and produce an engine for the most ambitious project of the Turkish military – industrial complex-the advanced TF-x fighter. However, in March 2019, the agreement with Rolls-Royce was frozen-nominally due to disagreements between the parties about intellectual property rights.
This caused the Turkish side to actively move towards possible offers from alternative engine suppliers for the TF-X, including Russia. But, unable to find suitable conditions, at the end of 2019, the Turkish government again began negotiations with Rolls-Royce. However, there is no information on progress in renewing the agreement.
Earlier, the Turkish state-owned aircraft manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) signed a cooperation agreement with the British BAE Systems on the first stage of development of the TF-x fighter. Initially, Turkey planned to fly the first sample of the TF-X in 2023. But today, the term of war is already called 2025-2026 - including due to the lack of an engine. Apparently, some imported engines will be installed on the prototypes in any case.
Turkish helicopter projects are critically dependent on imports of American CTS-800A turboshaft engines produced by Light Helicopter Turbine Engine (LHTE), a joint venture of the American Corporation Honeywell and Rolls – Royce. These engines are used on the Thai-produced Turkish t129 ATAK combat helicopter (licensed version of the Italian AgustaWestland/Leonardo A129). As well as on the t625 Gökbey multi-purpose helicopter developed by TAI itself, the first prototype of which made its first flight in 2019. In the past couple of years, the Americans have denied Turkey the right to re-export CTS-800A engines to Pakistan and the Philippines, which destroyed agreements to supply T129 helicopters to these countries.
To replace the CTS-800A engines on T625 helicopters (and in the future on T129), the Turkish company controlled by TAI Tusas Engine Industries (TEI) is working on creating its own ts1400 turboshaft engine with a capacity of 1400 HP.earlier this year, TEI reported that it successfully tested the TS1400 engine gas generator and plans to deliver the first prototype engine to TAI at the end of 2020. However, it is generally believed that due to Turkey's lack of experience in creating such engines, its development and refinement will be delayed for a long time.
Also in June 2020, TEI announced the successful testing of a small-sized tj300 turbojet engine with 1.3 kN thrust for cruise and anti-ship missiles-primarily for the Turkish roketsan SOM air cruise missile. Currently, small-sized Microturbo turbojet engines (a division of the French Safran group) are installed on SOM rockets. TEI representatives say that the next more advanced versions of the TJ300 engine will be able to be used as a power plant for large anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles to hit ground targets.
In parallel, the Turkish Kale group is developing a larger small-sized KTJ-3200 turbojet engine with a thrust of 3.2 kN. It is planned that they will be equipped with Turkish anti-ship missiles Atmaca (prototypes use the Safran TR140 engine) and all the same aviation cruise missiles SOM. But so far, all these Turkish small-sized turbofan engines have not come out of the experimental stage, and it is not known when they will be completed.
On someone else's draft
Turkish drones that have received a lot of publicity are also equipped with foreign-made engines. The TAI ANKA has a 155 HP Thielert Centurion 2.0 aircraft diesel engine from the German company Thielert (now controlled by the Chinese owners). And the notorious Bayraktar TB2 – the Austrian Rotax 912 engine in 100 HP.
In connection with the use of Bayraktar TB2 UAVS in the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, the canadian company Bombardier Recreational Products, which owns the Austrian Rotax, announced the termination of deliveries of these engines to Turkey for installation on unmanned vehicles. This forced Turkey to look for a replacement.
However, TEI has long been developing PD-170 piston engines with a capacity of 170 HP for use on Turkish UAVS.But this engine is still in the experimental stage – although it was installed on the first prototype of the heavy Turkish twin-engine UAV TAI Aksungur (ANKA-2, aka YFYK), which made its first flight in March 2019.
At the same time, in the fall of 2020, bench tests of the engine were again demonstrated. However, in October 2020, it was announced that the PD-170 engine will be installed instead of Rotax on a new modification of the Bayraktar device with the TB3 index.
TEI is also developing a more powerful PD-222 piston engine with a capacity of up to 250 HP. These engines, in particular, are claimed to be installed on the new Akinci heavy twin-engine UAV developed by Baykar Makina. However, two Akinci prototypes built to date are equipped with AI-450S turboprop engines imported from Ukraine with a capacity of 450 HP produced by Motor-Sich PJSC (Zaporozhye). And the purchase of these engines for these devices continues.
In fact, despite serious efforts and significant funding, not a single aircraft engine created in Turkey (including the simplest PD-170 piston engine) has been brought to mass production. It is obvious that creating engines even for UAVs is a very non-trivial design and industrial task.
Ruslan Pukhov
Ruslan Nikolaevich Pukhov-Director Of the center for analysis of strategies and technologies (AST Center).