T625 GÖKBEY P3 Prototype Conducts its First Flight with LHTEC CTS800-4AT Engines, Target for the First Flight with TS1400 is 2023!
TUSAŞ Member of the Board of Directors and CEO Temel KOTİL shared from his Twitter account the photos of the 4th GÖKBEY prototype, taken during its first flight, with a tweet on May 17, 2022, and added: “I would like to thank all my colleagues for their devotion and hard work. We will keep working to achieve more.” During these test flights, GÖKBEY was powered by LHTEC’s CTS800-4AT turboshaft engines, each generating 1,373shp.
As it may be recalled, a contract was signed between TUSAŞ and LHTEC on December 10, 2015, for the supply of 10 CTS800-4AT turboshaft engines to be used in prototypes to be manufactured under the Development Phase of the T625 GÖKBEY Turkish Light Utility Helicopter (TLUH) Project. A total of 4 T625 GÖKBEY Prototypes have been manufactured so far and LHTEC CTS800-4AT engines have been used in helicopters. While 8 engines power the ground and flight prototypes of the T625, 2 engines are kept in the inventory as spares.
T625 GÖKBEY Prototypes
TC-HLP T625 P0 Prototype: It successfully conducted its first flight on September 6, 2018, at 06:00 am.
TC-HLI T625 P1 Prototype: It is the first flight prototype. With all systems integrated, the TC-HLI with tail number 2 (P1) completed its first 45-minute flight on June 30, 2019.
TC-HLV T625 P2 Prototype: On June 28, 2021, the 3rd prototype helicopter with tail number TC-HLV came off the TUSAŞ production line, with the colors of the Gendarmerie General Command (JGnK), and successfully performed its first flight test.
TC-HLH T625 P3 Prototype: It conducted its first flight in May 2022. The 4th T625 GÖKBEY prototype TC-HLH was spotted at TUSAŞ facilities, painted black on January 7, 2022.
CTS800-4AT turboshaft engines have been supplied in sufficient quantities for the T625 GÖKBEY Helicopters to be manufactured under the Serial Production Phase, and no export license restrictions are expected during the supply process of the engines for further needs.
20 T625 GÖKBEY Multirole Utility Helicopters are being manufactured for the Gendarmerie General Command (JGnK) to replace the 13 AB-205 Helicopters in its inventory at the first stage under the Serial Production Phase. Subsequently, 24 helicopters are planned to be manufactured for the Naval and Land Forces, each. The Turkish National Police is also expected to order the T625 GÖKBEY. As per the exports, Libya is the first potential customer. The first batch of 3 helicopters is expected to be delivered in 2022. The delivery date for the T625 GÖKBEY was previously planned as October 29, 2021, and this date was later updated as 'mid 2022'.
Meanwhile, the Certification Process of the TS1400 turboshaft engine, developed by TEI with national resources, is underway. TEI delivered the first prototype engine to TUSAŞ on December 5, 2020. TEI aims to obtain the permit for manned flight with TS1400 turboshaft engines installed T625 GÖKBEY by the end of 2023 and to start serial production at the end of 2024. Manned flight authorization will be granted to TEI by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM). Accordingly, we will be able to see TS1400 engines in T625 Series Production models at the end of 2024 or early 2025, at the earliest.
In an interview we conducted at TEKNOFEST 2021 with TEI (TUSAS Engine Industries) President and CEO Prof. Mahmut AKŞİT, he gave the following answer to our question whether there would be one foreign-sourced engine and one TS1400 on GÖKBEY, or would both engines be TS1400 in the first flight: “TUSAŞ will decide this, but most probably both engines will be TS1400. It would be difficult to change them, and flight with two engines would be easier because the FADEC control system units on the engine communicate with each other, for example when one of the engines fails, the other engine produces more power for a certain period of time so that there is no problem, in that respect, having two different engines may cause trouble.”
