The opening ceremony of the T700 Helicopter Engine Test Cell, which will allow the testing of turboshaft engines to be used in the T70i Multi-Purpose Helicopters, was held in Eskişehir with the participation of the Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa VARANK. Before the ceremony, Minister VARANK also participated in the test of TS1400 Turboshaft engine, which was originally developed by TEI, which will power the Gökbey Light Multirole helicopter.

Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa VARANK, Eskişehir Governor Özdemir ÇAKACAK, Combatant Air Force Commander General Atilla GÜLAN, TEI General Manager Mahmut Faruk Akşit and other guests attended the ceremony held at TEI premises in Eskişehir.

Speaking at the opening ceremony Minister VARANK stated that TS1400 turboshaft engine is a significant step taken to eliminate foreign dependence and said: “The test cell that we opened will allow the testing of turboshaft engines to be used in local Black Hawk helicopters. Therefore, TEI will be able to produce and export turboshaft engines with a localization rate over 60 percent in addition to conducting the production tests of T700 engines in our country for the first time. Our first national helicopter engine TS1400, that we have just completed its test, will power the Gökbey helicopter, which is named by our President. The TS1400 turboshaft engine, completely designed and developed by TEI engineers, is a significant step towards eliminating foreign dependence. With the TS1400 Motor Development Project under the protection and financial support provided by the Presidency of Defence Industries, we will not only bring the first domestic helicopter engine to our country but also the infrastructure of design, production, test and material database in our country. The engine we’re all going be proud of will emerge here thanks to TEI’s world-class manufacturing and design capabilities that I have witnessed today. Additionally, the turbojet and turboprop versions of this engine will power important and different platforms regarding our current national capabilities.”

Emphasizing that the position that TEI has reached in 34 years is outstanding and exemplary in terms of both the added value it offers to the economy and meeting the strategic priorities, Minister VARANK, continued his speech by expressing that at least one of two planes in the world flew with TEI parts: “Turkey needs more TEIs. We started off by saying “national technology, strong industry”. In all sub-sectors of our industry, as we achieved in defence and aerospace, we aim to increase the technological capability of our country and increase the localization to higher levels. As you know, the localization rate in our defence industry is around 65 percent. In 16 years, 700 domestic patent applications were made in the defence sector. 63 percent of this has only happened in the last 5 years. All our efforts in the field of indigenization in defence were shaped by the vision of our President. Our goal is not to become a subcontractor to the international defence industry producers, but to create a fully independent Turkish defence industry. From strategy to indigenous design, from infrastructure installation to technology development, from final product to commercialization, we mobilize all our resources for projects that will give us technological superiority at every stage.”

Eskişehir Governor Özdemir ÇAKACAK stated that Eskişehir has been hosting large investments in various fields, particularly in aviation and rail systems. “Our province, which is located at the intersection of railways and highways, is home to the largest Organized Industrial Zone of our country with an area of 32 million m². Our city is a complete industrial base with more than 40,000 employees in the Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ), over 600 companies, many large enterprises other than OIZ like this facility, in addition to giving importance to the university-industry collaboration with 21 R&D centers.”

 Stating that Turkey became larger in every field in the last 15 years Governor ÇAKACAK continued as follows:

“Growing more than three times in the last 15 years, one of the leading cities in our country is Eskişehir. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute data (From Eskişehir customs), our exports in 2018, which amounted to US$ 902 million in 2017, are expected to exceed US$1 billion with the announcement of the December figures. Additionally, the exports of the companies that are registered to the Eskişehir Chamber of Industry and export to other customs in 2017 is around US$ 2.3 billion. Eskisehir within Turkish Industry stands out with mainly high-tech exports. Also, TEI holds a special place for our country and city which hosts many qualified industrial facilities.”

After the speeches, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa VARANK, Eskişehir Governor Özdemir ÇAKACAK and other protocol members cut the ceremonial opening ribbon and inaugurated the T700 Helicopter Engine Test Cell.