Deliveries of T70 helicopters, developed in cooperation with leading aviation companies in Türkiye within the scope of the Utility Helicopter Program, continue at full speed. Within the scope of this important program, the delivery of the fifth T70 utility helicopter, which will be added to the inventory of the Gendarmerie General Command, an important element of the Turkish Armed Forces, was successfully completed. This development significantly increased the air power of the Gendarmerie and was recorded as an important success of the domestic defense industry.
In the official post made by the Gendarmerie General Command of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Interior, while announcing this important delivery, the following statements were included: “We continue to gain strength with our 5th T70 helicopter that has recently joined our inventory. May it bring good luck and fortune to our homeland, nation and Gendarmerie Aviation Command.” These statements clearly reveal the Gendarmerie organization’s confidence and expectations in the operational capabilities of the new helicopter.
T70 Utility Helicopter Program: Air Fleet Strengthened by Domestic Production
The Utility Helicopter Program is based on the T70 utility helicopters, which were developed based on the S70 Black Hawk helicopter of the world-famous Sikorsky company and are being produced under license in Türkiye. Within the scope of this strategic program, it is aimed to meet the utility helicopter needs of different commands of the Turkish Armed Forces and critical public institutions such as the General Directorate of Security and the General Directorate of Forestry with domestic production. The Land Forces Command, Air Forces Command, Special Forces Command, Gendarmerie General Command, General Directorate of Security and General Directorate of Forestry are among the projected users of the program.
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) assumes an important responsibility as the prime contractor in the T70 Utility Helicopter Program. In this context, TUSAŞ successfully completed the integration of domestic avionics systems, the production of transmission, landing gear and other dynamic parts, the final assembly of the helicopter and qualification tests, and delivered the first T70 helicopter to the Gendarmerie General Command. The delivery of the fifth helicopter shows that the program is progressing successfully and domestic production capabilities are increasing.
Rising Local Defense Industry with Collaboration
While the T70 Utility Helicopter Program is carried out with TUSAŞ as the prime contractor, leading defense industry companies in Türkiye such as Sikorsky, ASELSAN, TEI (TUSAŞ Engine Industries Inc.) and Alp Aviation also play critical roles as subcontractors. This cooperation model brings together the expertise of the domestic defense industry in different areas, ensuring the emergence of a high-tech product.
Within the scope of the project, TUSAŞ provides the production, final assembly processes, tests and integrated logistics support of all main parts of the T70 helicopters such as the cabin, cockpit, tail cone, horizontal and vertical tail, main and tail rotor blades. In addition to being responsible for the development and integration of the helicopter's basic avionics systems, ASELSAN also plays an important role in the helicopter cockpit development (IMAS) project together with Sikorsky. While TEI carries out the production of the T700 engine in Türkiye, Alp Aviation successfully carries out the production and assembly of landing gear, gearbox detail parts and dynamic parts.
Türkiye's Utility Helicopter Needs Are Met by Domestic Production
The Turkish Utility Helicopter Program plays a critical role in meeting Türkiye’s military and civilian utility helicopter needs with national resources. With the successful completion of the program, a total of 10 T109 utility helicopters are planned to be delivered to 70 different users under license in production models over the next 6 years. This will reduce Türkiye’s external dependency and provide significant momentum to the development of the domestic defense industry.
The domestic production of T70 helicopters is considered an important milestone in meeting the domestic needs of Turkish industry in the military and civilian fields. The program will not only meet current needs, but will also increase the knowledge and experience of Turkish engineers and technicians, creating an important infrastructure for future aviation projects. The delivery of the fifth T70 helicopter to the Gendarmerie General Command stands out as a concrete indicator that this strategic program is progressing successfully and that Türkiye is taking firm steps towards its goal of independence in the aviation field.
