The Undersecretariat of the Turkish Defense Industry April 24 said the first T129 ATAK Raid Helicopter (ARH), the first domestically produced helicopter from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI),entered the military inventory April 22, published reports said.
Photo: Turkish Aerospace Industries
The ATAK was produced within the agreement for nine of the helicopters signed between the Undersecretariat and TAI in September 2007, which envisages the supply of nine T129 ARHs helicopters, the Daily Sabah, a daily Turkish newspaper, said.
The initial contract called for 50 helicopters with an amendment in 2010 to enable deliveries of nine more, starting 15 months earlier than planned.
TAI said on its website that the T129 integrates avionics and weapon systems developed domestically to Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland A129 airframe, with upgraded engines, transmission and rotor blades.
Designed to meet Turkish military requirements, the helicopter is optimized for hot and high environments.
The T129 ATAK performed a flight demonstration drawing attention from high level executives at the Bahrain International Air Show 2014 in January, TAI said in a statement.