Alp Aviation facilities in Eskişehir bring in significant gains for Turkey with the technology to produce the most critical parts of helicopters, namely gears, gearboxes and powertrains.
The company, which will work on behalf of the Sikorsky Aircraft in the framework of Turkish Utility Helicopter Project (TUHP), has made an approximately $90m investment for gear and gearbox, rotating component, rotor assembly, flight command system and landing gear production. Thanks to this pioneering technology, the Project will yield products to create a business volume of $500m.
Dealing for 15 years with the production of critical rotating components, assemblies and subsystems for aviation and aerospace industries, Alp Aviation shares the floor with Sikorsky Aircraft in the scope of the TUHP. For the first time in Turkey; engineering, production, assembly, testing and support services will be handled under a single roof. The facility is based totally on indigenous technology and will provide employment opportunities for 400 people. The facility’s opening ceremony was attended by prominent figures, including Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Faruk Özlü, Undersecretary for Defence Industries (SSM) Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir and Eskişehir Governor Özdemir Çakacak.
In his address at the ceremony, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım contended that the world was proceeding very rapidly towards the era of information and technology. In his words, “Most of the critical components of a helicopter like a powertrain, shaft and moving parts will be produced by Alp Aviation, while some others will be delivered in cooperation with TAI, ASELSAN and Lockheed Martin.
