Turkish Aerospace (TAI) has delivered the first T625 Gokbey helicopter, part of a launch order for 20 examples from Ankara for the new medium-twin.
In development since 2013, the initial T625 was handed over to the country’s Gendarmerie General Command on 29 October at a ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan said the Gendarmerie would receive two of three Gokbey helicopters from the initial serial production contract by year-end.
A total of 20 helicopters are included in that contract, with deliveries running until 2026. In addition to the three units for the Gendarmerie, customers for the first production lot comprise the army (7), air force (4), security directorate (3), and coast guard (3).
“Plans for the serial production of an additional 57 Gokbey helicopters to meet the needs of our Naval Forces Command are ongoing,” says Erdogan.
Deliveries of an air ambulance variant being developed for the health ministry will begin in 2026, he adds.
Planning for the procurement of an additional 100 T625s is also under way, he says.
While the Gokbey is currently powered by twin CTS800 engines from the LHTEC joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, domestic supplier Tusas Engine Industries is developing an indigenous alternative, the TS1400.
First flight of a T625 powered by the the 1,400shp (1,040kW) powerplant took place in 2023 and Erdogan says he hopes deliveries of TS1400-equipped Gokbeys will begin in 2028.
TAI plans to obtain European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification for the 6t maximum take-off weight helicopter.
Delivery of the initial T625 to the Gendarmerie came just days after a terrorist attack on TAI’s site in Ankara on 23 October in which five people died.
Erdogan dedicated the helicopter to Zahide Guclu Ekici – writing her name on the fuselage – an engineer who worked on the programme and who was killed in the attack.
