PBS Velka Bites Experts in Delivering Customized Solutions Across the Globe

Defence Turkey:  How would you best describe PBS Velka Bites today? Even though its main line of activity is in manufacturing and supplying small turbojet engines for various applications, PBS also supplies power-generation units and other aircraft systems and devices. Could you please provide some key facts about the company for our readers? 

Zdenek PAVLIK: First of all, thank you for inviting me to this interview.  PBS boasts more than 50 years of experience in aircraft technologies, and we have been producing turbine engines for more than 20 years. Besides propulsion units, we also produce Auxiliary Power Units (APU) and Environmental Control Systems (ECS) for helicopters and jet trainers. 

Defence Turkey: How would you describe the current position of PBS in both technical and commercial terms in the global turbojet engine market? What sets you apart from your competitors?

Zdenek PAVLIK:We supply to more than 40 countries in the world, and we tend to keep stable long-term relations with our customers. We are a tier 1 supplier, which means that more than 90 % of parts and components for our systems are manufactured and tested in-house. This way we are able to maintain overall control over our products, retain top-notch quality and have the continuous development of our aircraft systems fully in our hands. For example, we have launched a modified engine PBS TJ80M, recently. This modification allowed an increase in engine thrust by 30%, while maintaining the dimensions, weight, and specific fuel consumption of the previous model, PBS TJ80. The ability to modify our products according to specific customer requirements is our great advantage. 

Defence Turkey: What about your technological and manufacturing infrastructure, what kind of technologies are you using in your engines? The capacity of your facilities, for example how many APUs or how many engines can you deliver per month, per year? 

Zdenek PAVLIK: State-of-the-art technologies, qualified engineers, and experienced workforce are the reasons why we can produce hundreds of aircraft systems and devices each year. So far, we have sold more than 15,500 systems altogether, which is a pretty impressive number.

Defence Turkey: Can you compare your products with existing products in the market? For example, there are some equivalent solutions to PBS TJ100 or PBS TJ80. What makes your product more attractive or better than other solutions?

Zdenek PAVLIK: I believe it’s the whole concept of our company. There are certain attributes that can be matched by our competitors, like thrust. However, our engines are usually lighter, and more reliable. Then there’s the continuous development I have already mentioned, and the possibility of customer modifications. Besides that, we provide excellent customer service and support during the whole lifecycle of our products.

Defence Turkey: Can we get an analysis of 2021 from PBS Velka Bites’ point of view? What are the most important projects that PBS wants to realize this year? How do you evaluate 2021 in terms of orders? How has the perpetuation of COVID-19 affected your business operations in 2021? 

Zdenek PAVLIK: Well, we have launched 3 new engines already this year – PBS TJ40-G1NS, PBS TJ100P and PBS TJ80M, while PBS TJ150P will be launched later on. Luckily for us, besides the general health regulations related to COVID-19, the pandemic had no negative effects on our company’s economy. We are still here, still growing, and this is proof that our partners rely on us, our products and have full confidence in us.

Defence Turkey: How much time, effort and money does PBS allocate for R&D activities?

Zdenek PAVLIK: I’d like to keep this a secret as this is something that definitely gives us the edge over our direct competitors. All I can say is that we realize more than 30 technical development projects each year.

Defence Turkey: Can you briefly introduce our readers to major programs that PBS is involved in the Turkish market? Which programs are keeping PBS busy these days?

Zdenek PAVLIK:  There are serious cooperation opportunities in the Turkish market. One of them is, for example, the ATAK-II Attack Helicopter, where we have offered our APU and ECS. The other open projects are the 10-ton Utility Helicopter (T925), the TF-X 5th generation fighter, and the HÜRJET jet trainer. We are participating in each of the tenders either with our APU, ECS or both systems.

Defence Turkey: Tell us about your experience in international cooperation programs and partnerships. Are they more of a boost for you or rather more of a bottleneck?

Zdenek PAVLIK: I can mention the ongoing cooperation in the FCAS Project. It’s a major European defense project in which we participate with our jet engines. There are also a few others, which are confidential unfortunately.

Defence Turkey: How do you see the small turbojet engine market developing in the near future? How does PBS plan to continue its technological journey in the face of shrinking budgets at home and across the world?

Zdenek PAVLIK: Shrinking budgets are the result of uncertainty that was caused by COVID-19. However, if you want to kick-start the economy, you need to invest money to get things going, saving won’t do much good in my opinion. I think we are returning back to normal, and so are the expenses in defense and civil aviation.

Defence Turkey:  What kind of new products do you see a demand for in the coming years in the small turbojet engine sector. What kind of new products can we expect from PBS?

Zdenek PAVLIK:: Our turbojet engine portfolio already covers thrust categories from 400 to 1,500 N, and the amount of modifications we can execute on our engines has its limits. Therefore, we need to aim higher, you can certainly expect the development of an engine with significantly increased thrust.

Defence Turkey:  How long does it take to develop an aircraft engine? And how expensive is it? For example, you said that the PBS TJ80M is a new product, how long did it take PBS to develop it?

Zdenek PAVLIK: Any turbojet engine is a very sophisticated device. The development usually takes a few years. It really depends on the scope and nature of the intended improvements.

Defence Turkey:  What can you tell us about PBS’ approach to Turkey as a market and the sale of its products. You have just talked about some ongoing programs in the air platform field, but you are also manufacturing small turbojet engines. In these two fields, what kind of expectations do you have in this market?

Zdenek PAVLIK: Well at first, I would like to say that our presence at IDEF means that Turkey is a very important market for us. You can meet big companies like ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, or TUSAŞ here. These companies are significant OEMs that are influencing the defense industry around the world. Participation at IDEF is a great opportunity to meet up, find out about new projects, and discuss potential synergies. The exhibition is huge, I was here 4 years ago, and it’s grown incredibly.

Defence Turkey: Have you received any formal contracts in Turkey? Military, Commercial…?

Zdenek PAVLIK: Yes, we have. And we have already delivered a few engines to Turkey. Above all, I see great potential with application in the coming months.

Defence Turkey: Have you had an opportunity to talk with other delegations, or Turkish officials?

Zdenek PAVLIK: We have received very good support from the Czech government, and the Embassy of the Czech Republic, which I really appreciate. For instance, they organized a meeting for me with some really important people from the SSB. It’s always great to have someone to “help you open the doors.”

Defence Turkey: Mr. PAVLIK, thank you for making some time for our readers