Demir said that Turkish Aerospace is studying the possibility of landing and taking-off from LHD. Demir added, “ we wanted to start with UAVs. Now we are working on Hürjet. STOVL (Short Takeoff Vertical Landing) is an important issue. British Harrier aircraft is a well-known example. They did not use it effectively. It has some disadvantages. It is a very old aircraft. There is no production. It cannot reach supersonic speed. Maintenance costs a lot. This aircraft requires intense training. As a result, it is an expensive aircraft to keep operational.”
Demir denied Yaycı’s proposal
Turkey bought an old Brazilian Aircraft Carrier to shred as scrap. Former admiral and Head of Bahçeşehir University Maritime and Global Strategies Centre Dr Cihat Yaycı have suggested using the carrier as a training centre. Demir denied the proposal. Indicating that he had investigated the proposal, Demir said, “It is an old carrier. It is very expensive to maintain. Building an aircraft carrier is not a problem for the Turkish shipyard. We can build it. We can start working on aircraft catapult systems. It has no benefit for us.” Demir denied the further question deploying Su-33 aircraft. He said that they are not produced many. To find an aircraft to deploy at aircraft carrier is another issue” he said.
Tank’s engine to work in April
Demir has also spoken about land vehicles and Tank engines; He said that engines with 400 and 600 horsepower (HP) have passed the tests. They can be integrated into land vehicles. Demir added “Our 1000 HP engine is currently being tested, the engine continues to run. The tank engine has entered the test bench now, hopefully, we will see it running in the test next April. We work on transmission as well.”