According to an April 25, 2023 publication by Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has begun testing an engine for a new Turkish T929 attack helicopter. Officials also announced that the start of delivery to the Turkish army of a new rotorcraft equipped with Ukrainian-made engines is scheduled for early 2025.
The T929 Turkish heavy attack helicopter is being developed under the ATAK-2 program as a continuation of the previous TAI ATAK program. Its result was the T129 attack helicopter. Currently, the T129 is in service with the Ground Forces, Gendarmerie and police of Turkey. According to experts, if the design of the T129 is borrowed from the Italian Leonardo A129 Mangusta used by the Italian army, the T929 model is much more ambitious in size and capabilities and uses a much larger proportion of components and subsystems of Turkish production.
Turkish attack helicopter T129 Officially, work on the ATAK-2 project began in 2019.
In August 2022, there was confirmation of the start of work on the prototype. In general, experts believe, this is another example of the impressive pace set by Turkey's military space efforts. Although the date of the first flight of the T929 has not been publicly set, according to TAI management, it will take place in the near future.
According to Western media, since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, defense cooperation between Ankara and Kiev has intensified. Among its highlights are plans to create Turkish UAVs at a new Ukrainian production facility and the construction of warships for the Ukrainian Navy at Turkish shipyards.
In turn, the Turkish T929 helicopter is equipped with a pair of TV3-117VMA-SBM1V-01T turboshaft engines, each with a capacity of about 2500 hp, produced by the Ukrainian company Motor Sich. The size of the initial batch ordered was 14 units. However, due to the fighting in Ukraine, the delivery time of the first two was shifted by four months, and instead of September 2022, they arrived at the end of January 2023.
Heavy attack helicopter T929. Side view In general, the T929 model is considered a larger and more powerful machine than the T129, and is described as a "heavy class" attack helicopter, comparable to the American AH-64 Apache and the Russian Ka-52 Alligator.
The declared total weight of the new Turkish helicopter is about 11340 kg (25,000 pounds), including 1,500 kg (3,300 pounds) of weapons and supplies. For comparison, the T129 has a maximum take-off weight of about 5,000 kg (11,000 ft.). At the same time, the weight of the AH-64 is about 10,500 kg (23,000 ft.), and the Ka–52 is almost 11,300 kg, taking into account the maximum load.
Avionics is planned to be purchased and integrated locally, which is currently a common practice of the Turkish defense industry. In particular, an avionics complex and a control computer developed for the T129 will be received from Aselsan. The latter controls all helicopter systems, including the ASELFLIR-300T guidance and identification system, the helmet guidance and display system, VMFD-68 color multifunction displays and the CDU-900Z central display unit. Turkey has also developed a millimeter-range fire control radar, designated MilDaR. Her version is expected to be mounted on the T929 mast. In addition, a digital widescreen display (WAD) is mounted in the cockpit of the prototype T929, which is also an element of the equipment of the new TAI Hürjet light combat training aircraft.
Large-format display in the cockpit of the prototype T929 It is expected that the armament of the new Turkish helicopter will also come from Turkish manufacturers.
This includes long-range anti-tank missiles UMTAS and L-UMTAS, as well as the 70 mm guided missile Cirit. While the US-developed 20-mm M197 Chain machine gun is installed in the nose of the T129, the T929 attack helicopter will receive a locally developed T-30H cannon from Aselsan.
Similarly, it is claimed that the planned equipment for electronic warfare will be completely Turkish. The fully integrated kit will include missile attack warning sensors, a radio frequency jamming device and a directional countermeasures system (DIRCM) to protect against threats with infrared guidance.
Prototype T929. Front viewInitially, the T929 is planned to be delivered to the command of the SV and the command of the Turkish Navy.
This suggests that it can be expected that mashtna will become part of the air wing of the new TCG Anadolu landing ship. Regarding overseas sales, it appears that the T929 will become more available for export than the T129, as it is under U.S. export control over its LHTEC CTS800 turboshaft engines, originally developed to equip the U.S. Army's RAH-66 Comanche. The issue of the supply of engines became a stumbling block, which led to delays in the sale of the T129 to the Philippines and, probably, also the reason that Turkey was unable to sell this helicopter to Pakistan.
Export sales of the T929 will not require U.S. approval, as it will not have components controlled by the U.S. International Arms Trade Regulations (ITAR). This promises to open up various new markets for the helicopter. On the other hand, Ukraine's ability to supply the necessary engines for the Turkish T929 helicopter, at least until the end of the war, is questionable and could lead to further delays or shortages that could affect the program. Nevertheless, it is believed that the T929 is quite capable of occupying a niche where operators are denied access to American defense products, especially such as the Apache.
It is assumed that for Turkey, the T929 will be able to provide a new level of capabilities while maintaining almost complete control over the production and life support processes. Overall, the appearance of this new attack helicopter is another indication of the rapid progress made by Turkey's national defense industry.
Based on the materials of the-war-zone resource
