Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced that the first locally produced utility helicopter would soon be delivered to the Gendarmerie General Command. The Turkish Utility Helicopter Program TUHP consists of 109 Utility Helicopters that will be produced under the licence of Sikorsky. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu spoke on December 10th about the 2023 budget of the Ministry of Interior at the Turkish National Assembly. During his speech, Soylu said that the first of the T70 Utility Helicopter, developed from Sikorsky Aircraft's S70i Helicopter, was going to be delivered to the Gendarmerie General Command.
The project's main contractor is Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ), and sub-contractors are Sikorsky, ASELSAN, TEI, and Alp Aviation. Süleyman Soylu said, "The Gendarmerie will receive the first locally produced (T70) Sikorsky helicopter within a week. Then, before the end of the year or at the beginning of the new year, the command will receive GÖKBEY." GÖKBEY is TUSAŞ's indigenous General-Purpose helicopter. It can operate at high temperatures and altitudes in day and night conditions.
Within the scope of the TUHP, T70 helicopters will be developed based on the S70i Helicopter of Sikorsky Aircraft. A total of 109 T70 Helicopters will be manufactured and delivered to the Turkish Land Forces, Turkish Air Forces, General Command of Gendarmerie, Special Forces, Turkish National Police and Directorate of Forestry during the next ten years.
TUSAS is responsible for manufacturing, final assembly operations, tests and integrated logistic support of all airframe structures and composite rotor blades. In addition to TUSAS's work scope, TEI-Turkish Engine Industries builds T700-TEI-701D
engines under the license of GE-General Electric. Aselsan will develop and integrate the avionics and co-develop an enhanced digital cockpit with Sikorsky Aircraft, the Integrated Modular Avionics System (IMAS), and Alp Aviation is responsible for the production and assembly of landing gears, gearbox and dynamic components.
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