ATGM Launch From Bayraktar TB2 UCAV | Part 2/2 [1080p]

Turkey Have Tested Armed UAV

Bayraktar Tactical UAV has been successfully tested with two laser guided Mızrak missiles.

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex's 'Super Mushshak' Could be the Next Basic Trainer for Turkish Airforce

Sources said that Turkish gorvernment defense procurement agency Undersecretariat for Defense Industries/ SSM (Savunma Sanayii Mustesarligi) announced "Screeners" basic trainer for Turkish Airforce getting closer to an end. It would be a possibility that Turkey would select Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) "Super Mushshak" basic trainer aircraft. It's unclear that is the deal has finalized or yet to be! Though reliable sources confirmed with strong indications that Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) getting closer to an announcement.

A Pakistan Airforce (PAF) "Super Mushshak" basic trainer parked at an Pakistani airport. 

Turkey started a competition years ago dubbed as "Screeners" to replace its airforce's ageing fleet of SF-160 which were assembled in Turkey by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) licensed from Italy (Finmeccanica) in the early 1990s. The fleet have around 100 aircraft. And the contract could be worth between $50 millions & $75 millions. 

TAI Gozcu: Turkish Observer Drone

TAI Gozcu is a short-range tactical reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition Unmanned Aerial System. 

Details regarding this UAS are as:

Manufacturer: TAI-TUSAS Aerospace Industries Inc.
Powerplant: 1x Wankel 38hp engine.
Dimensions: length: 2.45m, height: 0.66m, wingspan: 3.75m. 
Weight: MTOW 85kg, max payload 8kg.
Performance: speed 100kt, endurance > 2hr, ceiling up to 12,000ft. 
Payload: two-axis gimbaled EO/IR camera.
Data Link: real-time telemetry and video.
Guidance/Tracking: fully autonomous, GPS integrated waypoint navigation.
Launch: catapult launcher. 
Recovery: parachute or skid.
Structure Material: delta wing, v-tail, all-composite airframe.
Electrical Power: rechargeable battery pack.
Status: in production.

Turkish Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar dismissed

Turkish Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar has been dismissed.

Murad Bayar at his Office

A news agency of Azerbaijan reports that the decision on Bayar’s dismissal has been posted on the Resmi Gazette today.

The delegation led by Turkey’s Undersecretary for Defense Industry Murad Bayar planned to visit Azerbaijan on March 11, later the visit was postponed until April.

Bayar, who had been working at Undersecretariat for Defence Industries from 1989, was appointed as Defense Industry Undersecretary in 2004.

Turkish media reports that he is expected to be appointed either as Senior Advisor to the President or Ambassador to Canada.

Turkey Pushes T-129 Gunships for Pakistan, but US Could Scupper Deal (Article)

ISLAMABAD AND ANKARA — Turkey is aggressively lobbying to give T-129 attack helicopters to Pakistan to replace its aging AH-1F fleet and is prepared to agree to generous terms with cash-strapped Pakistan to do so, according to sources.

However, the US could sink the deal and make a counteroffer of helicopter gunships to Pakistan that could be too good to refuse.

Pakistani media reports state a deal with Turkey could lead to local production of the T-129 at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), but speculation that preparations are already underway to build a new helicopter production facility there could not be confirmed.

Turkey made its latest push during Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Sept. 16-18 visit to Turkey for the Third High Level Cooperation Council meeting. Sharif was given a demonstration of the T-129’s capabilities and a potential deal was discussed.

Turkish officials confirmed talks have “matured to a certain extent,” and Turkey remains committed to any possible deal, not only for financial benefits but also potential strategic gains.

“We see that both countries are keen to cooperate,” said one senior procurement official in Ankara. “We have a longer-term vision over any deal. We do not aim to win just one foreign contract but also view spillover benefits for the local industry. The Pakistani market may win international recognition for the T-129 and pave the way for future contracts.”

The official declined to comment on the modality of any deal.

However, a Pakistani source familiar with the negotiations said Turkey had offered to gift three T-129 helicopters to Pakistan with 2,300 items of spares. The T-129 variant in question was not clarified. The initial T-129A is being used for flight testing while the full specification T-129B is still under development.

Turkey followed the same approach in securing a deal for MKEK 155mm Panter howitzers with Pakistan in 2009. It is now produced in Pakistan by Heavy Industries Taxila.

However, a Turkish procurement official dealing with international agreements and financing voiced doubt over Pakistan’s ability to afford a deal.

“We know that Pakistan is not in the best financial shape. But this could be overcome with political will,” he said.

Salma Malik, assistant professor at the Department of Defence & Strategic Studies at Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University, is uncertain, but not dismissive, saying this “depends on how and what kind of budgetary allocation the concerned offices have, and how they have outlaid it.”

A more serious potential obstacle, however, is obtaining US permission to export the LHTEC CTS800-4N engine powering the T-129.

A US industry source in Ankara said a US export license for the T-129’s engine would be critical. “This may require complex deliberations in Washington, involving many industrial and political parameters,” he said.

Brian Cloughley, former Australian defense attache to Islamabad, said Congress holds the key to the deal.

“It is most unlikely that either the White House or the Pentagon would attempt to deny an export license to Turkey for T-129 power plants and ancillaries, but the Defense Security Cooperation [Agency] is required to notify Congress of most proposed sales and obtain approval,” he said.

“Given the mood of Congress, it is extremely difficult to predict what they might or might not do. It takes only a couple of members or senators to demur, and the whole process could be halted. Everything depends on the political mood of the moment.”

Nevertheless, Turkey hopes the T-129 will be an export success.

In remarks carried by Turkish daily Today’s Zaman, Turkey’s procurement chief, Murad Bayar, said Sept. 23 that the T-129 attack helicopter “had strong export potential.”

The T-129 has been going through acceptance tests before deliveries for the Turkish military. Officials expect the first delivery to be made within the next few weeks.

“We may complete the delivery of the first nine helicopters by the end of the year,” Bayar said. “After these helicopters make their way into the Turkish inventory, I believe they will have strong chances for export.”

Azerbaijan is reportedly looking to buy 60 T-129 helicopters. Jordan’s King Abdullah, who was in Turkey in March, visited Turkish Aerospace Industries, co-maker of the T-129, and examined both the helicopter gunship and Turkey’s first locally-developed drone, the Anka.

Despite Turkey’s hopes, however, the US might try to tempt Pakistan with a deal for the AH-1Z Viper helicopter.

No one at the defense section in the US Embassy would comment on the matter, but details were confirmed by sources in Pakistan familiar with the deal.

Pakistan has been awarded US $300 million in foreign military financing for FY2013-2014, which could be used to procure the Viper attack helicopters, made by Bell.

This is part of a wider deal discussed during US Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s trip to Islamabad on Sept. 17.

Cloughley, however, does not believe Pakistan will be tempted.

“I do not think that Pakistan would be tempted to ditch the T-129 deal if there were an offer of Vipers. There might be a good deal proposed by the US, but operating costs are high and would [argue] against acceptance. Further, and probably more significant, there is decided and most strong opposition in Pakistan to further deals with the US.”

Pakistan builds parts for TAI ANKA Drone

Pakistan, which has for much of the past decade has sought to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UCAV), a platform used by the US in Pakistan despite numerous protests by the government, has started export of drone parts.

On Monday, officials at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra handed over the first batch of parts created for the Turkish UAV (ANKA) to the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) in a ceremony held during the International Defence Exhibition and Fair (IDEF) at Istanbul, Turkey.

After the signing ceremony, President and CEO of TAI Muharrem Dortkasli expressed his satisfaction on the skill and knowledge possessed by PAC, Kamra for undertaking such assignments.Dortkasli expressed that many more collaborations would be undertaken in the future as well.Pakistan has been seeking access to drones and has experimented in indigenously constructing drones.

Turkey's Sat-Launcher Plans Raise Concerns

Turkey's Gokturk-2 satellite launches into orbit from Jiuquan, China, in December. Some nations fear Ankara could use its planned satellite launch center to fire long-range missiles as well as satellites. (Turkish Aerospace Industries)

ANKARA — Turkey has approved construction of its first satellite launching center to cater for the country’s mushrooming satellite programs.

But Ankara’s western allies worry that the Turks intend to use their own launching pad to fire the long-range missiles they hope to build in the medium- to long-run.

Turkey’s procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), in early July signed a contract with the country’s national missile manufacturer, Roketsan, to build the Turkish Satellite Launching System (UFS) for pre-conceptual design work.

Under the contract, Roketsan will design the UFS to be capable of launching, initially, satellites into low earth orbit (500 to 700 kilometers) through a launching center the company will build and the Turkish Air Force will operate.

“We intend to end Turkey’s foreign dependency on launching military and [civilian] communications satellites,” one Roketsan official said. “We also think Turkey may launch other nations’ satellites with its own system in the longer-run.”

An SSM official familiar with the program said one reason for the UFS project was that Turkish planners are aiming toward a compact space program, including a national launcher. “The government and military planners think that any space road map without an indigenous launcher would be incomplete,” he said.

But diplomats and analysts think that the Turks may have other reasons for their desire to have their own satellite launcher.

“Some of Turkey's NATO allies fear that Ankara could in the future use its satellite launcher also as a launching pad for its intended 2,500-kilometer-range missiles,” said one western ambassador in Ankara.

A defense attaché from a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) embassy in Ankara said: “It is puzzling for us to observe whether Turkey intends to use the planned [satellite] launcher for its missile ambitions. I think Turkey, if it intends to develop a long-range missile, would face other difficulties, such as problematic access to necessary equipment, other than a need to have its own launcher.”

The SCO member states are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Turkey in 2012 won the dialogue partner status at the SCO.

In 2011, Turkey announced plans to develop a missile with a maximum range of 2,500 kilometers, not revealing whether it would be ballistic or cruise. Although little information about the program has been released, a Turkish cabinet minister in January confirmed that Turkey possesses capabilities to produce a missile with a range of 800 kilometers.

TUBITAK-Sage, an affiliate of state scientific institute TUBITAK, has been awarded the development contract and has indicated that it intends to test a prototype within the next two years. However, independent analysts say this development plan appears to be overly ambitious.

Right now, the Turkish military’s space-based assets are geared more toward ISR missions, but Turkey has so far been dependent on other nations to launch its satellites.

A Turkish earth-observation satellite named Gokturk-2 was launched from Jiuquan, China in December. The satellite designed and built by TUBITAK’s space technologies research unit, TUBITAK-UZAY, in cooperation with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Gokturk-2 is Turkey’s second national satellite following RASAT, which also was developed by TUBITAK-UZAY and launched from Russia on Aug. 17, 2011.

In early 2013, Turkey’s Defense Industry Executive Committee approved contract negotiations with TAI for domestic development of a synthetic aperture radar spacecraft dubbed Gokturk-3. And Turkey plans to launch Gokturk-1 in the next few years. Gokturk-1, under construction under a deal with Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, is a larger and more powerful optical imaging spacecraft capable of sub-meter resolution that is similar to the French Pleiades earth observation satellites built by EADS-Astrium.

According to a government road map for military and civilian satellites, Turkey plans to send into orbit a total of 16 satellites until 2020. A space industry expert based here said the next five years’ satellite contracts could amount to $2 billion.

The Roketsan official said that the government would invest about $50 million in the planned UFS’ infrastructure, and another $50 million for the its electronics systems.

Photo Release: Turkish TFX fighter concept revealed at IDEF

Three potential designs for a planned TFX Turkish fighter concept have been shown for the first time at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul, with the programme's current initial design phase due to conclude later this year.

Images depict a single-engined aircraft with and without canards and a twin-engined design, with these having been influenced by discussions between the Turkish air force and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

One of Three Conceptual Design Models for TAI TFX

TAI says the initial designs will be assessed against air force requirements during a workshop, with a report to be submitted by Turkey's undersecretary of defence industries by the end of September 2013.

TAI was awarded a contract last year to perform the activity, with the company working with Swedish manufacturer Saab.

Under current plans, the TFX project could lead to the first flight of a Turkish-built fighter in 2023, with the type to potentially be acquired as a replacement for the air force's oldest Lockheed Martin F-16Cs.