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$40 million contribution from the first domestic and national engine to Turkey’s economy

Prof. Dr. Mahmut Faruk Aksit, General Manager of TAI Engine Industry Inc. (TEI), told DHA about the success story of the medium-range anti-ship missile engine TEI-TJ300 Turbojet, which is produced entirely with domestic and national facilities at Eskisehir facilities. Stating that in the project that will make a contribution of $40 million to Turkey in the first stage, the motor with a diameter of 240 millimeters has reached a thrust power of 1342 Newton (N), leaving behind France, Germany, Czech Republic and the Netherlands, who are the leaders of the sector. “This is a world record, we think we can go up to 1500 Newtons when we force the engine we produce in tests. Developing a motor from zero, plain white paper in 2.5-3 years is a pretty record speed.”

Performing the engine production of Turkey’s defense industry vehicles, including general-purpose helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in Eskisehir facilities, TEI completed the first domestic and national anti-ship missile engine TEI-TJ300 Turbojet after 3 years of work. The engine, which passed the tests successfully, broke the world record by reaching 1342 Newton (N) thrust power, surpassing the peers produced by France, Germany, Czechia and Holland, which are the leaders of the air motors sector in the world. TEI General Manager Prof. Dr. Mahmut Faruk Aksit told DHA about the success story of TEI-TJ300 Turbojet, which went from trial engine production to a world record.

WHEN WE TRIED TO IMPROVE CAPABILITY, WE BREAK THE WORLD RECORD

Expressing that following the TJ90 Turbojet engine developed for Turkey’s domestic unmanned aerial vehicles’ need for gas turbines, they set out to build a test engine with axial compressor technology, TEI General Manager Prof. Dr. Mahmut Faruk Aksit said, “Our goals were actually both to improve motor ability and to gain know-how. We thought our team would learn this job. After determining this idea as a vision, we said that this learning engine we will do will help Turkey. In the conversation with Roketsan General Manager, do you need an engine in this power class? I asked. The shelf life of mid-range anti-ship missiles used by our navy will expire up to 5-6 years and Turkey will renew them. It emerged from the idea that if you develop this engine until then, we will also make rockets. In about 2.5 years, our prototype was finished and preliminary trials had begun. In June last year, when our Minister, Mustafa Varank, came, we also ran the running test.”

DEVELOPING THE ENGINE FROM FLAT WHITE PAPER, A RECORD BREAKING SPEED

Drawing attention to the fact that the TEI-TJ300 Turbojet, the first domestic and national anti-ship missile engine produced, is a small engine in the missile class, Prof. Dr. Aksit explained the world record with a trial engine as follows:

“An engine class in the range of 23-25 cm in diameter. Our engine has a diameter of 24 centimeters and fits right in the middle of this range. With our development, we went up to 1342 Newton power, I hope we will go even higher. In the 23-25 cm diameter class, 4 manufacturers in the world have 4 different engines, one of which is the engine we produce. Motors from other manufacturers generate between 900 Newtons and 1250 Newtons. However, our engine has reached a power of 1340 Newton with a lower diameter of 24 centimeters. This means that we’re extracting more power from the smaller engine. The record in the technology race comes from here. We haven’t pushed our engine to the end. Our general opinion is that we can push this up to 1500 in our tests. Hopefully, in the future, we plan to break our own record again and move it upwards. We went a little too fast on this project. Normally, developing a plain white paper engine from scratch in 2,5-3 years is a pretty record speed. I can say we broke a record there too. Good health to our team.”

SERIAL PRODUCTION WILL START IN 2 YEARS

Explaining that the TEI-TJ300 Turbojet will start mass production in 2 years, Prof. Dr. Aksit said that the engine was completely completed in Eskisehir facilities, except for the cables, which are ready-made shelf products. Stating that they are planning to push the limits of the engine even more, Aksit said, “To what extent can we upgrade it, how many hours can it last at this power level? We will force it. How much of a local and national engine are we? Once the design is completely ours. All the design, development, belongs to our entire team at TEI, from engineers to technicians. Good health to all of them. An engine that we developed completely nationally. In its production, we produced everything of the motor here, except the cables, which are ready-made shelf products. When I say here, I do not mean only the inside of TEI. As TEI, if we work 100 hours in our own workshop, we work outside for 50 hours. We do this systematically so that our small industrialists outside can develop, they make money, and our costs are decreasing.”

CONTRIBUTION TO TURKEY WILL BE $40 MILLION

Stating that the TEI-TJ300 Turbojet will stop purchases from abroad and will make a contribution of $40 million to Turkey, Aksit said, “How much will this engine prevent the import of a missile? If we do not build this engine, they will put up a tender and buy another product from another country. Together with Roketsan, we developed this product in the same class. Our estimate is that we think it will contribute $30-40 million to our economy in the first place. Of course, according to the success of the missile in the future, this will increase with foreign sales. But it does not compare to the money spent on development. Technological products with very high added value.”

Produced with the support of TUBİTAK, TEI-TJ300 is designed to be used in medium-range anti-ship missile. It can also be used in many different platforms. TEI-TJ300 engine, despite its physical size, has a power of about 400 horsepower and gives 1300 Newton thrust. The engine, which is regarded as the most important infrastructure in the power systems of aircrafts in Turkey, is aimed to eliminate its dependence on abroad. In addition, the tests of the engine are carried out in new test rooms established with local and national facilities.

MINISTER VARANK ANNOUNCED THE RECORD

Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank announced that the medium-range anti-ship missile engine TEI-TJ300 Turbojet, produced entirely with domestic and national facilities at TEI Eskisehir facilities, reached a thrust power of 1342 Newton with a diameter of 240 millimeters. Sharing his engine test images on social media, Minister Varank stated that this is a world record, “TEI-TJ300, Turkey’s first Medium Range Missile Engine developed with the support of TUBİTAK, broke a world record in its class by reaching 1342N thrust force with a diameter of 240mm. TEI-TJ300 can be applied to air, sea and land defense systems.”

Source: Hurriyet / Translated by Irem Yildiz

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