Turkish Aerospace Industries
Encyclopedia
Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) is the center of technology in design, development, manufacturing, integration of aerospace systems, modernization and after sales support in Turkey
.
The Turkish Aircraft Industries, Inc. (TAI) and TUSAŞ Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TUSAŞ) merged under the name TAI on April 28, 2005. The shareholders of the company are the Turkish Armed Forces Strengthening Foundation (TSKGV), Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) and the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK). On 12 January 2005, the Lockheed Martin of Turkey, Inc.
(42%) and General Electric International, Inc.
(7%) transferred all their shares of TAI to the Turkish Aircraft Industries, Inc. (TUSAŞ).
Located in Ankara
, the capital of Turkey, the TAI production plant covers an area of 5 million square meters with an industrial facility of 150,000 square meters under its roof. The company has a modern aircraft facility furnished with high technology machinery and equipment that provide extensive manufacturing capabilities ranging from parts manufacturing to aircraft assembly, flight tests and delivery. Quality system of the company meets the stringent world standards including NATO AQAP-110, ISO-9001:2000, AS EN 9100 and AECMA-EASE.
As of 2010, Turkish Aerospace Industries employs over 1500 engineers, of whom approximately 850 are R&D engineers working in military research projects.
jets, CN-235 light transport/maritime patrol/surveillance aircraft, SF-260 trainers, Cougar AS-532 search and rescue (SAR), combat search and rescue (CSAR) and utility helicopters as well as the design and development of Unmanned aerial vehicle
s (UAVs), target drones and agricultural aircraft.
TAI’s core business also includes modernization, modification and systems integration programs and after sales support of both fixed and rotary wing military and commercial aircraft that are in the inventory of Turkey and its allies.
The major programs of TAI include:
TAI is engaged in manufacturing aerostructure
s for fixed and rotary wing, military and commercial aircraft for worldwide customers. TAI is in various partnership arrangements with Agusta
, Alenia Aeronautica
, Airbus
, Boeing
, CASA
, Eurocopter, IAI
, Lockheed Martin
, Northrop Grumman
, MD Helicopters
, Sikorsky
, Sonaca and numerous other companies in aeropsace sector.
TAI manufactures Section 18 fuselage panels for Airbus 319/320/321
aircraft, wing tips and flight deck panels for Boeing 737
aircraft, rear doors and engine cowlings for Eurocopter EC135
helicopters, MD 902
fuselage for MD Helicopters
, horizontal stabilizers, tail rotor pylons and tail booms for Sikorsky S-70
A and MH-60 helicopters, horizontal stabilizers for Sikorsky S-76
helicopters and AB139
fuselage for Agusta
. Furthermore, TAI manufactures nose landing gear doors for the Boeing 747
, dorsal fin for 777
and parts/subassembly parts for 737/767/777
. It also manufactures seven components of the Eurocopter AS 532 helicopter.
TAI, which had a single program (the co-production of the F-16 Fighting Falcon) at its establishment phase, is working on over 50 military and commercial programs today. As a partner of the Airbus Military S.L.
, TAI has been participating in the design and development activities of the Airbus A400M
program with the leading European aerospace companies; namely Airbus (France, Germany, Spain and UK), EADS CASA (Spain) and FLABEL (Belgium) from the beginning of the project. TAI has accepted the production of A350XWB's
winglets with the new cooperation.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The Turkish Aircraft Industries, Inc. (TAI) and TUSAŞ Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TUSAŞ) merged under the name TAI on April 28, 2005. The shareholders of the company are the Turkish Armed Forces Strengthening Foundation (TSKGV), Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) and the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK). On 12 January 2005, the Lockheed Martin of Turkey, Inc.
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
(42%) and General Electric International, Inc.
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(7%) transferred all their shares of TAI to the Turkish Aircraft Industries, Inc. (TUSAŞ).
Located in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, the capital of Turkey, the TAI production plant covers an area of 5 million square meters with an industrial facility of 150,000 square meters under its roof. The company has a modern aircraft facility furnished with high technology machinery and equipment that provide extensive manufacturing capabilities ranging from parts manufacturing to aircraft assembly, flight tests and delivery. Quality system of the company meets the stringent world standards including NATO AQAP-110, ISO-9001:2000, AS EN 9100 and AECMA-EASE.
As of 2010, Turkish Aerospace Industries employs over 1500 engineers, of whom approximately 850 are R&D engineers working in military research projects.
Projects
TAI’s experience includes the co-production of F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
jets, CN-235 light transport/maritime patrol/surveillance aircraft, SF-260 trainers, Cougar AS-532 search and rescue (SAR), combat search and rescue (CSAR) and utility helicopters as well as the design and development of Unmanned aerial vehicle
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
s (UAVs), target drones and agricultural aircraft.
TAI’s core business also includes modernization, modification and systems integration programs and after sales support of both fixed and rotary wing military and commercial aircraft that are in the inventory of Turkey and its allies.
The major programs of TAI include:
- Electronic warfare retrofit and structural modifications on TuAF F-16s.
- MLU, Falcon-Up and Falcon Star Modifications on the Royal Jordanian Airforce ( RJAF ) F-16s,
- Modifications of 42 Block-15 F-16's of Pakistan Air ForcePakistan Air ForceThe Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
to Block-50. - Modification of the S-2E Tracker Maritime Patrol Aircraft into Fire Fighting Aircraft
- CN-235 and Black Hawk modifications for the Turkish Special Forces
- Modification of CN-235 platforms for MPA/MSA missions for the Turkish NavyTurkish NavyThe Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
and Coast Guard - Modification and modernization of Eurocopter AS 532
- Glass Cockpit Retrofit of S-70 helicopters
- Conversion of B737-700 aircraft AEW&C aircraft
- Avionics modernization of C-130 aircraft for the Turkish Air ForceTurkish Air ForceThe Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
(TuAF) - Production of the center fuselage of Joint Strike FighterJoint Strike Fighter ProgramJoint Strike Fighter is a development and acquisition program intended to replace a wide range of existing fighter, strike, and ground attack aircraft for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and their allies. After a competition between the Boeing X-32 and the Lockheed Martin X-35, a...
F-35F-35 Lightning IIThe Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
aircraft - Participating in the design and development of the A400M military transport and tanker aircraft
- Avionics modernization of T-38 aircraft for the Turkish Air ForceTurkish Air ForceThe Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
- Design, development and production of the attack helicopter T-129 for the Turkish Armed ForcesTurkish Armed ForcesThe Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
(TAF). - Design, development and production of Turkish Primary and Basic Training Aircraft, named HÜRKUŞTAI Hürkuş-External links:*...
, with EASAEASAEASA may refer to:* European Aviation Safety Agency* English Academy of Southern Africa* European Architecture Students Assembly* European Association of Social Anthropologists...
CS-23 certification. - Design, development and production of Anka unmanned aerial vehicle for the Turkish Air ForceTurkish Air ForceThe Turkish Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. It ranks 3rd in NATO in terms of fleet size behind the USAF and Royal Air Force with a current inventory of 798 aircraft .-Initial stages:...
.
TAI is engaged in manufacturing aerostructure
Aerostructure
An aerostructure is a component of an aircraft's airframe. This may include all or part of the fuselage, wings, or flight control surfaces. Companies that specialize in constructing these components are referred to as "aerostructures manufacturers," though many larger aerospace firms with a more...
s for fixed and rotary wing, military and commercial aircraft for worldwide customers. TAI is in various partnership arrangements with Agusta
Agusta
Agusta is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It is based in Samarate, Northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907...
, Alenia Aeronautica
Alenia Aeronautica
Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, is a European aerospace company from Italy. Its subsidiaries include Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali...
, Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, CASA
CASA
- Aviation :* Civil Aviation Safety Authority - Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation of Civil Aviation* Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA- Spanish aircraft manufacturer, became EADS CASA in 1999...
, Eurocopter, IAI
Israel Aircraft Industries
Israel Aerospace Industries or IAI is Israel's prime aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 16,000 employees as of 2007...
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
, MD Helicopters
MD Helicopters
MD Helicopters, Inc. is an aerospace company that produces helicopters primarily for commercial use. Coverage here includes the company's tenure as McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems, a subsidiary of McDonnell Douglas.-Background:...
, Sikorsky
Sikorsky Aircraft
The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. Its parent company is United Technologies Corporation.-History:...
, Sonaca and numerous other companies in aeropsace sector.
TAI manufactures Section 18 fuselage panels for Airbus 319/320/321
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft, wing tips and flight deck panels for Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft, rear doors and engine cowlings for Eurocopter EC135
Eurocopter EC135
The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules .-Development:...
helicopters, MD 902
MD Helicopters MD Explorer
|-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0 7106 2537 5.-External links:* *...
fuselage for MD Helicopters
MD Helicopters
MD Helicopters, Inc. is an aerospace company that produces helicopters primarily for commercial use. Coverage here includes the company's tenure as McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems, a subsidiary of McDonnell Douglas.-Background:...
, horizontal stabilizers, tail rotor pylons and tail booms for Sikorsky S-70
Sikorsky S-70
The Sikorsky S-70 is a medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the U.S. Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Blackhawk and spawning a large family in U.S. military service...
A and MH-60 helicopters, horizontal stabilizers for Sikorsky S-76
Sikorsky S-76
The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter. The S-76 is powered by two turboshaft engines, which drive both the main and tail rotors, each with four blades...
helicopters and AB139
AgustaWestland AW139
The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium sized twin-engined helicopter manufactured by AgustaWestland. Originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, it was redesignated the AW139 when Bell withdrew from the project...
fuselage for Agusta
Agusta
Agusta is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It is based in Samarate, Northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907...
. Furthermore, TAI manufactures nose landing gear doors for the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, dorsal fin for 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
and parts/subassembly parts for 737/767/777
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Boeing Commercial Airplanes designs, assembles, markets and sells large commercial jet aircraft and provides product-related maintenance and training to customers worldwide...
. It also manufactures seven components of the Eurocopter AS 532 helicopter.
TAI, which had a single program (the co-production of the F-16 Fighting Falcon) at its establishment phase, is working on over 50 military and commercial programs today. As a partner of the Airbus Military S.L.
Airbus Military
thumb|First [[Airbus A400M]] roll-out in [[Seville]] in June 2008Airbus Military is a business unit of Airbus, which is part of the EADS conglomerate...
, TAI has been participating in the design and development activities of the Airbus A400M
Airbus A400M
The Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities. The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in...
program with the leading European aerospace companies; namely Airbus (France, Germany, Spain and UK), EADS CASA (Spain) and FLABEL (Belgium) from the beginning of the project. TAI has accepted the production of A350XWB's
Airbus A350
The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.A consortium originally comprising European aerospace companies from the UK, France, Spain and West Germany, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known...
winglets with the new cooperation.