Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. [TAI]’s, indigenous Target Drone ‘Turna’ carried out its first test flight with the TEI-TP-1X turboprop engine, developed by Turkish Engine Industries, Inc. [TEI] on April 4, 2008.
A Collaboration Agreement, signed between TAI and TEI on September 11, 2007 aims to provide the maximum local benefit to initiate the model for ‘local platform-local engine’. Under the agreement, the indigenous turboprop engine, developed by TEI for unmanned air vehicles, was integrated to TAI’s target drone Turna, which was an indigenous system, except its engine. With the integration of TEI’s indigenous TEI-TP-1X turboprop engine, TAI’s Target Drone System Turna, acquired a complete ‘national product identity’.
Following the safety tests, the TEI-TP-1X engine, which is generating 90lb propulsion power and 6.500 maximum propeller speed, is foreseen to be the standard engine for the first national air platform ‘Turna’ in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turna, which is being used for the training of air defense forces since 2001, has successfully realized over hundreds of flights.
Turna target drones in the TAF service are powered by Wankel type AR731 engine generating 38bhp at 7800rpm.