Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is hopeful of securing deals with several operators in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly for its T129 attack helicopter and Anka unmanned air vehicle.
Speaking to FlightGlobal at the Singapore airshow, TAI's vice-president of corporate marketing and communications Tamer Ozmen, says that the company is in "advanced discussions" with Pakistan for the T129; Bangladesh for both platforms; Malaysia and Indonesia for the Anka; as well as the Philippines and Thailand for the T129.
Ozmen says that the T129 would appeal to potential operators in Asia-Pacific given how the platform has proven itself at home and in Syria against terrorist threats.
He adds that Pakistan's interest in the T129 was due to the company also having proven in tests that the platform was able to "excel in hot and high conditions" of 52˚C (126˚F) and at 14,000ft.
Meanwhile, Ozmen is confident that the Anka would suit "some" Asia-Pacific countries which he describes as "islands" – particularly Indonesia and the Philippines.
"Our UAVs have an operational ceiling of 30,000ft and can go on for 26h. The Anka can act as a force multiplier in islands that are too spread apart. They can keep eyes on a target, eliminate them with their payload or if needed, call in a strike force," he says.
Get all the coverage from the Singapore air show here
Source: Cirium Dashboard
