TUSAS’s AKSUNGUR UAV set a new altitude record at 40,000 feet, marking the highest flight for the TEI-PD170 engine and testing ASELSAN and ASPİLSAN systems.

Turkish Aerospace’s high-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, AKSUNGUR, has reached a new altitude milestone of 40,000 feet powered by the indigenously developed TEI-PD170 engine, marking the engine’s highest operational flight.
In a statement shared by Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ), the company announced: “The banner-bearer of the skies, AKSUNGUR, greets us from 40,000 feet. With this flight, our national engine TEI-PD170 has reached its highest altitude to date.” 

The TEI-PD170 Engine

TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI) has created a turbodiesel aviation engine called the TEI-PD170 to power medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This engine produces 170 horsepower. It is possible to use either JP-8 or Jet-A1 fuel with the TEI-PD170’s two-stage serial turbocharging system. The dry weight of the engine is 162 kilogrammes. The engine has a service ceiling of 45,000 feet when equipped with the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and the software that goes along with it.

According to TUSAŞ, the record-setting flight also marked the highest-altitude test for ASELSAN’s Aselflir AF500 electro-optical camera and ASPİLSAN’s heated battery module, both of which were integrated into the AKSUNGUR platform during the mission.
AKSUNGUR, which first flew in 2019, is a twin-engine MALE UCAV capable of extended endurance missions. With the integration of the TEI-PD170 engine and other indigenous subsystems, it plays a strategic role in Turkiye’s defence and surveillance architecture.

Author: Özgür Ekşi