The Philippine Air Force Receives The Last Two T-129 Atak Helicopters From TAI
Last week, the Philippine Air Force received the final two of six T-129 Atak helicopters ordered from Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in July 2020 at Danilo Atienza Air Base on the island of Luzon, home to the PAF’s 15th Strike Wing, with a ceremony. Senior military officials from the Philippine Air Force attended the event, including Air Combat Commander Mgen Araus Robert F. Musico, 15th Strike Wing Commander Gen. Juliano C. Llarenas, unit commanders, and staff.
Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of Turkey’s defense industry agency, said in a statement on his X account about the final delivery of T-129 ATAK helicopters to the Philippines: “We add value to the security of friendly and allied countries with our last 2 T129 ATAK deliveries to the Philippine Air Force. Each delivery we make on time and successfully takes the reliability of our systems and the reputation of our defense industry one step higher. With our commitment to a sustainable export vision, the future of our industry is in safe hands…”
The T129 ATAK fleet agreement, valued at $280 million, increases the Philippine Air Force’s armed light observation, and combat operational capability and is one of the priority projects under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program Horizon 2. The agreement, which was initially jeopardized by the US State Department’s embargo on CTS800-4A engines, was reaffirmed with the export permit in 2021. During the same time period, the US did not grant the same permission to Pakistan, which wanted to order T-129 attack helicopters from Turkey alongside the Philippines, and the Islamabad government purchased Z-10ME attack helicopters from China.
TAI delivered the first two T129 Atak helicopters to the Philippine Air Force in 2022, followed by the third and fourth in 2023. These units, assigned to the Philippine Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing, have been widely used in internal security operations and international exercises to date. The Philippines is expected to order six more Atak units after being satisfied with its initial experience.
Aside from the Philippines, Nigeria also decided to purchase T129 from TAI in the fourth quarter of 2022. TAI delivered the first two units to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in recent months under the terms of the contract, which includes the delivery of six T129 ATAK helicopters for approximately $270 million, similar to the contract with the Philippines. NAF anticipates receiving the remaining four units in two separate batches by the end of 2024. The contract also includes the option for six more attack helicopters.
While TAI is working on its current orders, it is also developing the TEI-TS1400 engine under the name Turboshaft Engine Development Project (TMGP) in order to avoid the American export permit for future orders. TAI Engine Industries (TEI) engine, producing up to 1660 horsepower, was integrated into the GÖKBEY utility helicopter produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and made a successful flight last year. The same test is expected to be conducted on the Atak helicopter in the near future.