Agusta Westland offers strategic advantages To Turkey

AgustaWestland and TAI with Aselsan are jointly and successfully implementing the ATAK programme for the delivery of 51 highly sophisticated T129 helicopters to SSM/Land Forces.

 

Industry’ teams have been integrated between TAI and AgustaWestland with more than 30 engineers being relocated in the two countries supporting the design of the basic helicopter in Italy and the integration of mission systems in Turkey, respectively

 

The T129 programme continues to the planned schedule with System Requirements Review and Preliminary Design Review completed in 2009. The Critical Design Review will shortly be complete, with significant improvement introduced to add additional sophisticated mission equipments as determined by TLF/SSM whith the inclusion of the new domestically design and develop UMTAS missiles. Prototypes are being assembled in both Italy and Turkey, with the AgustaWestland P3 and P2 prototypes starting their flight test program in January 2011 and April 2011, respectively. TAI prototypes P4  will start flying in June 2011, followed by P5.

 

T129 deliveries to the customer are scheduled to start in 2013.

 

By TUHP 149  progmammes,  Agusta Westland offers strategic advantages to Turkey. Turkish industry will be involved in the joint development of the TUHP149 as well as in the helicopter maturity programme being responsible for flight testing activities, design optimization and TUHP149 variants development. The TUHP149 production will provide a major contribution to the achievement of the strategic target based on a 50% share of future procured military assets to be indigenously manufactured and supported.

 

Turkish industry will be responsible for final assembly of all TUHP149 helicopters to be supplied worldwide with the only exclusion of the AgustaWestland domestic market. There are more than 8000 helicopters in the current worldwide military fleet which could be identified as requiring eventual replacement over the next 35 years including the phase out of the first delivered Black Hawk. The TUHP149 will be the only new generation helicopter in this class, specifically designed for the military/governmental market.

 

Turkish industry will gain rights to offer, sell, manufacture and support the TUHP149 for the world market. The TUHP149 would be the first Turkish high technology and complex aeronautical product to be offered in the global market and Turkish aerospace industry would play a leading role in achieving the Turkish government goal in terms of defence export.

 

Turkish industry will also lead the TUHP149 civil certification application to the civil certification authority in Europe and USA if Turkey requires so. Another ‘first time ever’ step with an invaluable increase of ‘know-how transfer’ that will allow TAI to manage such a process for its own commercial helicopter programme autonomously in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AgustaWestland TUHP149 is also leveraging on the successful T129 ATAK programme expanding Turkish responsibilities within the T129 programme with the addition of the T129 Main Gear Box production. This latest opportunity would enable the Turkish industries to access and master a core field in the rotorcraft sector.

 

The T129 and the TUHP149 feature a significant synergy sharing  the same avionic/electronic suite designed and manufactured by ASELSAN. Additionally, AgustaWestland is committed to further expanding the ASELSAN TUHP149 participation through the acquisition of 100 further avionic shipsets beyond the specific TUHP149 programme. This will grant ASELSAN greater economies of scale and the qualification as a major supplier to a leading helicopter company.

 

TAI would leverage on this commonality of systems between the T129 and the TUHP149 increasing export opportunities being in condition to offer on the international market a winning package with the combination of a  transport helicopter (TUHP149) and an armed helicopter (T129) which share avionic/electronic equipments and so the associated support.

 

AgustaWestland has offered Turkish industries to further expand the existing collaboration through the development of an all new Turkish helicopter or cooperation on a new AgustaWestland model.

 

 

Know-How growth

The T129 programmes’s winning and collaborative environment provides a strong foundation for the TUHP149. The TUHP149 programme maximizes the involvement of TAI and of additional players from the Turkish aerospace and defence industry, namely ASELSAN, TEI, Roketsan, and others small and medium local industries as subcontractors of the primary ones in the development of a new technology aircraft.

 

Critical technologies

Turkish industry will be involved in all TUHP149 flight test activities acquiring an invaluable know-how for what helicopter design optimization and development are concerned.

Moreover, the Through the TUHP149 programme Turkish industry will also access a number of critical technologies related to gear box components production. These will further add to the technology already under development through the T129 programme, such as composite blade production. TUHP149 composite blade production is envisaged too. Indigenous support capability is granted through Logistic Support Analysis third level maintenance further contributing to know-how growth.

 

TUHP149 commercial advantage

Through the TUHP AgustaWestland is committing itself to a 30 year collaboration with the Turkish industries. Within the TUPH149 framework agreement Turkish industry will be granted full export rights for the TUHP149. The potential worldwide market for a TUHP149 class helicopter is significant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TUHP149 competitive advantage against competitor

AgustaWestland’s TUHP149 proposal leverage on:

• A brand new ‘state-of-the-art’ aircraft.
• A full industrial co-development.
• Indigenous know-how development as well as full export rights.
• Autonomous in-house aircraft and system development to meet future requirements, not dependent from foreigner.
• The best performance in its category with unparalleled growth potential.
• Full domestic authority and leadership in the design and development of a naval variant of the TUHP 149, should Turkey demand it.
• Significant economic and operative advantages for the Turkish Land Forces in operating the two new fleets (T129 and TUHP149) with essentially the same avionics (same training, same maintenance, ease of interchangeability of pilots, etc.).
• Enormous savings in the “cost of ownership”, due to the TUHP149’s use of leading edge technology within the new design, that has reduced the maintenance burden with respect to any other helicopter in this category; The conservative calculation of savings for a fleet of more than 100 helicopters, each flying an average of 300 hours per year over an operational life of minimum 30 years, might be in the area of one billion US $.