NEW T929 HEAVY ATTACK HELICOPTER BEING DEVELOPED BY TURKEY

A video of engine tests for Turkey’s new T929 attack helicopter has been made public, giving us our first clear view of the nearly finished prototype and coming a day after the country announced the inaugural flight of its first homegrown military jet, the Hürjet, which is capable of supersonic travel. The rotorcraft, created under the ATAK-2 program and powered by Ukrainian-made engines, is anticipated to be handed to the Turkish Army starting in 2025, according to officials.

Anadolu Agency, a state-run news organization in Turkey, recently published images and a video of the T929 prototype. Although it’s not known exactly when these testing took place, the video sequence shows the aircraft warming up its engines and rotors in a dedicated test facility in Ankara. The T929 prototype and mockup that we previously saw were both in the early stages of manufacture.

The T929 is being created as a follow-up to TAI’s earlier ATAK, which gave rise to the T129 assault helicopter, under the ATAK-2 program. Currently, T129s are utilized by the Turkish Land Forces Command, Turkish Gendarmerie, and Turkish Police. The Italian Army’s Leonardo A129-Mangusta served as the basis for the T129’s design, but the T929 is much larger and more comprehensive, and it employs a significantly higher percentage of Turkish-made parts and systems.

The ATAK-2 project started in earnest in 2019, but it wasn’t until August of last year that production on the prototype was officially acknowledged to have begun. Overall, it serves as another illustration of the fast pace that Turkey’s military aerospace initiatives are moving along.

Mehmet Yilmaz, the ATAK-2’s Chief Product Engineer, told Anadolu Agency, “We had a very fast development process.” We completed the design phase really quickly. About two years ago, the decision to fly early was made. Additionally, we began and expedited our work toward the early flight choice. For approximately a year, we have been manufacturing parts and providing equipment. Over the past three to four months, we completed the body assembly and final assembly of our helicopter, he continued.

The prototype T929 “can fly in the not-too-distant future,” according to Yilmaz, despite their being no officially announced timetable for the first flight. If everything goes well, we’ll go more quickly, he continued.

Ankara and Kyiv have increased their defence cooperation since Russia invaded Ukraine. Two notable examples are plans to develop Turkish drones at a new Ukrainian manufacturing facility and to build warships for the Ukrainian Navy in Turkish shipyards. The Ukrainian Motor Sich company’s TV3-117VMA-SBM1V-01T turboshaft engines, which have a combined output of about 2,500 horsepower, power the T929 in contrast. Although a first batch of 14 of these engines has been ordered, the delivery of the first two to Turkey apparently took four months longer than expected due to the demands of the Ukrainian conflict. These were supposed to be delivered in September of last year, but they didn’t show up until the end of January.

As a whole, the T929 is a bigger and more powerful machine than the T129 and is referred to as a “heavy class” attack helicopter, roughly in the same league as the American AH-64 Apache and the Russian Ka-52, in contrast to its smaller and less powerful predecessor.

According to the manufacturer, the new helicopter weighs about 25,000 pounds in total, 3,300 pounds of which are armaments and supplies. The maximum takeoff weight of the T129 is roughly 11,000 pounds in contrast. The Ka-52 weighs over 25,000 pounds when the maximum cargo is taken into account, while the AH-64 weighs about 23,000 pounds gross.

The procurement and integration of avionics will take place domestically, as is now customary in Turkish defence aerospace projects. following the example set by the T129, which has a mission computer and avionics package created by Aselsan. The ASELFLIR-300T targeting and identification system, a helmet-mounted cueing and display system, VMFD-68 color multifunction displays, and CDU-900Z central display unit are all operated in part by this computer. Additionally, Turkey has created the MilDaR millimeter-wavelength fire control radar, a variant of which is anticipated to be placed atop the T929 in a mast configuration.

The majority, if not all, of the weaponry are likewise anticipated to be produced in Turkey. This comprises the Cirit 70mm guided rocket as well as the long-range anti-tank missiles UMTAS and L-UMTAS. The T929 introduces a locally developed cannon, the T-30H from the Aselsan firm, in place of the T129’s 20mm M197 Chain Gun in the nose.

A radio frequency jammer, directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system, and missile warning sensors will all be fully integrated into the electronic warfare equipment that is reportedly all-Turkish and fully operational.

The Land Forces Command (Turkey’s army) and the Naval Forces Command will get the T929 at first. This hints that it may be expected to be a component of the upcoming TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault ship that Turkey has lately stated it plans to use as a drone carrier, which will be a member of the Turkish Navy.

How the T929 will fit into the Land Forces Command inventory is not immediately evident. Despite the advent of the domestic T129, the command continues to fly a sizable number of American-made Cobra attack helicopters, a mix of more recent AH-1W “Whiskey” versions and older AH-1P/S units from U.S. Army stock. Around 53 Cobras and 57 T129s are still in operation, and at least 30 more of these aircraft are on order. The first AH-1s arrived in 1990, and they now require replacement, particularly in light of the transfer of more recent and sophisticated AH-1Ws from the Land Forces Command to the Naval Forces Command last year. One possibility is for the T929 to take the place of the final Cobra and work alongside T129s in a mixed force.

Both the AH-1 and T129 have seen significant use in operations against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. During these missions, they have been under increasing threat from MANPADS, which has resulted in some casualties for both aircraft types. In terms of self-defence, the T929 is expected to be an attack helicopter that is significantly more capable.

In terms of export sales, the T929 appears to be more export-friendly than the T129, whose LHTEC CTS800 turboshaft engines—originally created to power the U.S. Army’s RAH-66 Comanche—have always been constrained by export restrictions. The problem with engine supply caused delays in the sale of the T129 to the Philippines and probably contributed to Turkey’s failure to sell the same helicopter to Pakistan.

The T929 will not need U.S. permission for export sales, and as it won’t contain any parts subject to ITAR restrictions, this should allow the helicopter to enter a number of new markets. On the other hand, it is doubtful whether Ukraine will be able to provide the T929 with the necessary engines as long as the conflict with Russia persists. This could cause additional program delays or supply shortages. Moscow, at least, claims that Russian aircraft have already damaged the Motor Sich facility in the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia.

Along with the “heavy class” T929 attack helicopter, TAI is also developing a “mediumweight” T629 unmanned assault helicopter that will weigh about 13,000 pounds. There are few known facts about the T629, an electric-powered aircraft, and the predicted 2021 first flight of an experimental demonstrator did not take place.

Unmanned attack helicopters could make an interesting addition to fly alongside traditional attack helicopters like the T929 in a manned/unmanned teaming scenario, however, if TAI does perfect an unmanned attack helicopter. With the T129 and Bayraktar TB2 drones working closely together, especially in coordinated operations against PKK forces, this idea has started to be investigated in Turkey.

Given that Russian attack helicopter sales are anticipated to suffer as a result of these aircraft’s generally subpar performance in the conflict in Ukraine, it appears that the T929 will be directly targeting AH-64 sales. It is doubtful that the Apache will face any significant threats any time soon given the established and continually expanding operator pool. However, since there are no export restrictions, the T929 may still find a place among operators who are unable to obtain American defence products, particularly ones as potent as the Apache.

The T929 will also support the Turkish military’s ongoing modernization efforts, which already include the TF-X next-generation fighter, the Hürjet advanced jet trainer/light combat aircraft, the Anka-3 low-observable flying wing unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), and the drone with fighter-like capabilities, Bayraktar Kizilelma.

The T929 should provide Turkey with new levels of capability while also guaranteeing nearly total control over the production and maintenance operations. Overall, the introduction of this modern attack helicopter serves as additional proof of the quick development of Turkey’s domestic defense sectors. The length of time it will actually take to operationalize this progress is another question.

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