Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has unveiled a mock-up of a second indigenous attack helicopter concept under development. The presentation of the T629 attack helicopter was private.
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The development of the T629 helicopter has been underway by Turkish Aerospace Industries since 2017. In 2019, the company defended the helicopter project and began assembling the first flight model of the machine.
T-629 is 6 tons, but no technical details have been revealed so far. However, at the presentation, the helicopter model came with mock-ups of launchers of 70 mm unguided missiles and L-UMTAS anti-tank missiles.
“Turkish Aerospace will develop a six-ton attack helicopter using the same transmission, gear box, and rotors of the T625,” Ismail Demir, the President of Defence Industries (SSB), was quoted as saying in October 2017. Ankara was already developing the T625 by then.
Currently, Turkey does not make mass-produced attack helicopters of its own design. Nonetheless, it produces light attack helicopters T129 Atak, created on the basis of the Italian A-129 Mongoose.
The developers plan to conduct the first flight of the T629 by the end of 2020.
