The contract for the delivery of the TEI-PD170 Turbo Diesel Aviation Engines to be used in ANKA Blok-B and ANKA-S UAVs by the Turkish Naval Forces was signed between Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) and TEI in the second half of 2019. TEI completed the production of the 13 TEI-PD170 Engines to be used in 12 additional ANKA UAVs (4 ANKA-B and 8 ANKA-S) by the end of 2019. The first of the engines that were mass-produced under the contract was sent to Turkish Aerospace on December 27, 2019, for preliminary studies. In 2019, TEI also completed the production of two TEI-PD170 engines to be used in the BAYRAKTAR AKINCI (Raider) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) developed indigenously by Baykar Makina. Within the scope of the ceremony, the delivery of 15 engines, including 13 TEI-PD170 Engines produced by Turkish Aerospace for the Turkish Naval Forces, and 2 TEI-PD170 Engines to be provided for AKINCI UCAV, have also been completed. With the signing of the contract for the engines to be used in the additional 10 ANKA-S UAVs by the Turkish Air Force, the number of engines to be delivered increased to 40. In 2020, an additional 25 TEI-PD170 engines are planned to be mass-produced and delivered to Turkish Aerospace as part of the second delivery.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman & President of TEI,  Prof. Mahmut Faruk AKŞİT underlined that the development and manufacturing of the TEI-PD170 engine within 5 years and its successful delivery after tests was a remarkable success for our country. Prof. Faruk AKŞİT also emphasized that within the scope of the project, TEI's collaboration with Turkish SMEs and sub-industry companies in the aviation field exceeded 90%. Prof. AKŞİT also noted that aside from the PD170, the PD155 engine, which was ordered for emergency needs, was developed by TEI engineers and delivered for use in the ANKA UAV. “The PD170 Engine, which we will deliver today, has been designed and developed from scratch by Turkish engineers, workers, and employees,” Prof. AKŞİT also shared valuable information about the PD170 Piston Diesel Engine, the test images of which were shown in the promotional video: “As you can see in the video, we reached 225hp. There will be a second version of the AKINCI platform, and we will use the high hp version of these engines in the new version of AKINCI.”

President of Defence Industries Prof. İsmail DEMİR emphasized that the PD170 Engine will also be used in the AKINCI UCAV and said, “There will be different models of the AKINCI UCAV, and I hope we will be flying one of these models with the PD170. We will send some of the PD170 engines to AKINCI; we will use the national engines on the national platform and I wish the best of luck in this project.” Underlining that the PD170 Turbo Diesel Aviation Engine has reached a 90% locality rate in terms of the subsystem, material, and labor costs, Prof. DEMİR shared the good news that the tests of the TS1400, another engine produced by TEI, were also successful. Emphasizing that the first engine run test of the first T-70 Multi-role Utility Helicopter manufactured by Turkish Aerospace was carried out on December 25, 2019, with the T700-TEI-701D Turboshaft Engines, Prof. DEMİR stated that TEI would deliver 25 more T700-TEI-701D engines in 2020.

Under the Operative UAV Engine Development Project, which was signed on December 27, 2012, and started in 2013, the first engine run test was conducted on January 31, 2017, the first engine was delivered on November 14, 2017, and the first flight test on the ANKA UAV was accomplished on December 27, 2018. During the development process, the power and fuel consumption targets of the engine were met in a short time, and the calibration and maturity tests exceeding 6,000 hours were successfully completed. Also, within the scope of the official qualification tests, six different EASA CS-E tests were successfully concluded. The TEI-PD170 turbo Diesel engine was designed and produced indigenously with national capabilities, and its Intellectual Property (IP) rights are owned by the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB). The locality rate of the PD170 exceeds 90% in terms of the subsystem, material, and labor costs, and the localization efforts of the systems, excluding the off-the-shelf products, are aimed to complete by the end of 2020.

The TEI PD170 Engine Supply Subcontract was signed between Turkish Aerospace and TEI on November 23, 2019, for the serial production of the TEI-PD170 Turbo Diesel Aviation Engines. As part of this first serial production contract, 40 engines (TEI-PD170 Engine met the technical requirements of the Operative UAV Engine Development Contract) will be shipped with the Electrical Power Generation System Kit and Propeller Accessories Mounting Kit. Throughout the 3,600-hour service life of the engine (service life of the Rotax 914UL Engine used in the Heron/GÖZCÜ-I UAV is 1,800 hours, and the service life of the Thielert Centurion 2.0S [CD-155] Aviation Engine used in ANKA UAVs is 1,200 hours), all periodic interim maintenance (alternator and gearbox maintenance) and all planned depot-level maintenance will be carried out under the responsibility of TEI under the Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) management contract. Under the agreement, engine orders were received on December 26, 2019.

The PD170 Turbo Diesel Aviation Engine has a 170 hp capacity, double alternator, and twin turbocharger, and was developed by TEI to replace the Thielert Centurion 2.0S Engine, one of the three critical sub-systems of foreign origin in the ANKA MALE UAV System. The PD170 Turbo Diesel Aviation Engine has four-stroke and 2.1-liter volumes. According to the product brochure, it can provide 165 hp at a 20,000ft altitude, 155hp at a 25,000ft altitude, about 130hp at a 30,000ft altitude, 105hp at a 35,000ft altitude and about 90hp at a 40,000ft altitude. While the bare, dry weight of the PD170 Engine, which can operate with both JP-8 Jet Fuel and diesel fuel, is stated as 165kg in the product brochure, the total weight of the engine on the aircraft with all support equipment is 230kg. On May 28, 2017, Chairman& President of TEI Prof. Mahmut Faruk AKŞİT pointed out that just the engine block of the PD170 Engine costs US$50,000 and underlined that ANKA or similar UAVs can climb up to an altitude of 45,000ft with the PD170.