Turkish Engineers Equip National Air Platforms

Turkish Engineers Equip National Air Platforms

Since 2020, Kalkan Endüstri has been active in the defence industry, robotic technologies, automation, and machinery and equipment supply.

Alp Havacılık, which provides the defence industry with subsystem, assembly and precision component design and production, opened its doors to members of the press.

Yılmaz Güldoğan, Alp Havacılık Ankara Coordinator and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Alpteknik Havacılık; Cihan Albayrak, National Programmes Manager at Alp Havacılık; and Atilla Kaya, Engineering and Design Director at Alp Havacılık, briefed journalists on the company's work and answered their questions.

The company, which has high standards of technology, quality, design, engineering and production, offers solutions in the helicopter, engine, structural and landing gear fields as one of the most highly qualified affiliates of helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky.

Operating entirely with Turkish management and engineering staff, and with an average employee age of 33, the company will reach 1,350 employees by the end of the year. Earning more than 90 per cent of its turnover from exports, mainly to North America, Alp Havacılık supplies parts, predominantly for landing gear, for all platforms produced by Airbus and Boeing. The company contributes approximately 20 per cent of Türkiye's total aviation and space exports and stands out as the country's third-largest aviation exporter.

Providing design and production support to indigenous air platforms

The company, which provides design and production support to indigenous air platforms in Türkiye such as GÖKBEY, ATAK-2 and KAAN, as well as to TEI's engine projects, continued to supply until August last year despite Türkiye's removal from the F-35 Programme, because the engine components it produced were of very high quality and could not be qualified elsewhere. As far as is known, the company is the only firm outside the USA to produce components for the F-22 aircraft.

Having taken on responsibility for supplying the gearbox and landing gear from the 6th helicopter onwards in the initial production package of 38 units under the T70 Utility Helicopter Programme, the company has delivered all the landing gear and is nearing completion of the gearboxes. Production will continue if the programme continues and the helicopter is exported to other countries.

Outperformed its Japanese competitor to win its place on GÖKBEY

Having started its design work with landing gear design for training aircraft, the company then succeeded in taking its work on mechanical push rods, which transmit the pilot's commands in the helicopter, to series-production level, becoming a supplier to Sikorsky.

Tasked with the design, testing and production of the accessory gearbox, a very important subsystem of the national TEI TS1400 turboshaft engine that will power the GÖKBEY helicopter, Alp Havacılık outperformed the equivalent Japanese-made product. This accessory gearbox, which drives the accessories that enable the engine and certain equipment to perform their functions and allows the component that gives the helicopter its initial movement to operate, performed its task on the GÖKBEY helicopter during its first flight with the domestic engine. While product deliveries continue, the design will be frozen after the 7th prototype. These gearboxes will also be used when GÖKBEY switches to the domestic engine from the 35th helicopter in the second half of 2025. At the end of this first major design project, Alp Havacılık received an order for 30 sets of gearboxes.

The aim is also to use these capabilities in accessory gearbox design and production to meet the needs of the TF6000 and the national combat aircraft engines.

Original designs to feature on KAAN

The success achieved with the accessory gearbox in particular paved the way for several projects for the national combat aircraft KAAN.

One of these, the Splined Rack-and-Pinion Gear Mechanism, adjusts the fuel flow rate according to the engine and the throttle lever used by the pilot. This mechanism regulates the fuel consumption required for the pilot to perform the desired manoeuvres. Two mechanisms designed and produced by Alp Havacılık within six months have taken their place on the aircraft. They will also be on board KAAN during its first flight, scheduled for 27 December. Environmental testing of the mechanism, whose functional tests have been completed, is expected to be completed this week. The Splined Rack-and-Pinion Gear Mechanism is reported to be among the first products on KAAN to complete environmental testing.

Another product designed for KAAN is the Rudder Mechanism. A different supplier's mechanism will be used for the first flight, while responsibility for series production will lie with Alp Havacılık. An order for 40 sets of the rudder mechanism has been received, and deliveries will begin in the second half of 2024.

Apart from these design activities under the "national programmes", all the capabilities acquired in the T70 Programme are being used for production for the GÖKBEY helicopter. GÖKBEY's main shaft, landing gear components and tail rotor drive shafts are being produced. ATAK-2's tail rotor drive shafts and complete landing gear, as well as the landing gear of KAAN, which has rolled out of the hangar and will make its first flight, bear the Alp Havacılık signature.

Weapon systems to have a longer service life

Building on this design capability, Alp Havacılık has also developed products known as "slewing bearings or ring gears" for ASELSAN. These products are among the critical components enabling rotation in turret systems, land vehicles and remote-controlled weapon systems. With a patented solution involving aluminium-steel bonding, used in helicopters and adapted from aviation, the functionality of the bearing gear has been enhanced and its service life extended. First deliveries of the products, which have successfully passed virtual testing, will be made at the end of the year. Following the approval process on the target platform, series production will begin next year. Developed for land platforms and currently limited to a diameter of 1.2 metres, the product is intended in later phases to be used on a larger scale on large platforms such as the Fırtına howitzer or on naval platforms.

In addition, the company has begun producing complex and critical subsystems for ASELSAN-designed platforms, aiming to diversify its activities and thereby increase its work share.

Robots and unmanned transport vehicles also at work

To increase effectiveness and efficiency, Alp Havacılık uses "Industry 4.0" applications, industrial robots and unmanned transport vehicles at its facilities. On the actively used "flexible production line", tools and cutters are loaded by robots and transport vehicles. There is only one member of staff at all these machines, for monitoring purposes; everything else is done through automation.

Alp Havacılık, which is also an approved R&D centre, has produced ceramic cutters, specially developed and patented for machining nickel alloys, which are more durable and offer a 40 per cent cost advantage over conventional production methods. These cutters, produced in-house, have also made a significant contribution to the production of engine components. Having commercialised these cutting tools, the company made its first export, to Italy, last week.