What Is TUSAŞ T625 GÖKBEY? Turkey’s First Domestic Helicopter Sets the Stage for More
When T625 GÖKBEY lifted off on September 6, 2018, it became the first helicopter designed and built entirely in Turkey. TUSAŞ had been working toward this moment since a contract signed with the Defence Industries Presidency in 2013, with a mandate not merely to assemble foreign components under licence but to develop a genuinely indigenous multi-purpose helicopter with Turkish-designed avionics, a Turkish autopilot system and, eventually, a Turkish-built engine.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 15.87 m (52 ft) |
| Main Rotor Diameter | 13.20 m (43 ft) |
| Max Takeoff Weight | 6,050 kg (13,337 lbs) |
| Max Cruise Speed | 297 km/h (160 knots) |
| Standard Range | 740 km (with external tank: 948 km) |
| Endurance | 3.8 hours (5+ hours with external tank) |
| Service Ceiling | 6,096 m (20,000 ft) |
| Engines | 2× LHTEC CTS800-4AT — 2×1,024 kW |
| Crew + Passengers | 2 pilots + 12 |
A Helicopter Built for Turkey’s Geography
Turkey’s operational environment presents a demanding brief for any helicopter. The country’s eastern provinces sit at high altitude and see extreme temperature swings; offshore platforms in the Aegean and Black Sea require range and reliability; border security and disaster response missions demand rapid reconfiguration between roles. GÖKBEY was designed with these requirements in mind, with a performance envelope that emphasises high-altitude hot-and-high capability — the most demanding flight regime for any rotorcraft.
The Domestic Engine Milestone
The defining technical breakthrough of the GÖKBEY programme came in April 2023, when Prototype P1 completed its first test flight on the TEI-TS1400 engine — a turboshaft powerplant developed entirely in Turkey by TUSAŞ Engine Industries. This milestone closed the last major dependency in the helicopter’s supply chain. A helicopter that previously required imported engines now had a viable path to a fully Turkish power section, with implications for cost, supply chain resilience and export flexibility.
Full Glass Cockpit, Four-Axis Autopilot
GÖKBEY’s digital cockpit features multi-function touchscreen displays and a four-axis autopilot system developed by TUSAŞ in-house. In practical terms, this means the aircraft can fly complex long-duration missions — particularly night operations and instrument approaches in poor visibility — with significantly reduced crew workload compared to older analogue-cockpit designs. Combined with Category-A certification capability and IFR qualification, GÖKBEY can operate in conditions that would ground many of its regional competitors.
Missions and Market
GÖKBEY’s mission list spans civilian and military roles: troop transport, VIP lift, external cargo with a sling hook, air ambulance, search and rescue, offshore platform support and firefighting. This breadth makes it a natural competitor to platforms like the H145 or S-70i in markets where versatility matters as much as raw performance. As certification milestones accumulate and operational track record grows, GÖKBEY’s export case will sharpen considerably.
