Kale Group Deputy CEO Osman Okyay stated that Kale will expand its portfolio, including smaller and/or more durable turbojet engines, during an interview.
Speaking to Habertürk TV, Okyay gave an overview of Kale’s plans for the near future in terms of jet engines. He stated that four new engines are in development, with two of them having a higher durability to support long-endurance flight, while the others are being developed with smaller smart munitions in mind.
Okyay later detailed two of the engines to come soon and the roadmap for them:
“Our target for 2026 is to complete two of the four engine developments. One of them will be a 1200 N-class engine, while the other will be a 400 N-class engine. One of them will be shown in the first quarter, while the other will be set for the fourth quarter."
Smaller turbojet engines have started gaining more ground with the interest drawn on jet-powered kamikaze UAVs as well as compact cruise missiles, which are more cost-effective against softer targets while providing the stand-off advantages of a full-scale cruise missile. Up to this point, the military use of turbojet engines smaller than those used in cruise missiles was mostly related to target/decoy UAVs.
It is understood that Kale Jet Engines has taken the initiative to provide the indigenous production of engines needed for a large volume of jet-powered compact munitions and kamikaze UAVs, as well as more durable versions of its turbojet engines to power high-speed platforms meant to fly for extended periods.
Baykar, TUSAŞ, and ROKETSAN have demonstrated their products in this direction, such as KEMANKEŞ 1, ŞİMŞEK/ŞİMŞEK-K, and EREN, respectively. Additionally, TÜBİTAK SAGE is developing KUZGUN TJ to act as a mini cruise missile as the third member of its modular munition family.
Kale's KTJ Line of Turbojet Engines
Kale's KTJ line of turbojet engines is currently in use by Turkish cruise missiles and consists of three types as KTJ-3200, KTJ-1750, and KTJ-3700.
->KTJ-3200: Used on SOM-A/B ALCM and ATMACA anti-ship missile, exported to Brazil for MANSUP-ER anti-ship missiles
->KTJ-1750: Used on ÇAKIR compact cruise missile
->KTJ-3700: Used on ATMACA UM (Land ATMACA) land attack cruise missile
Judging by the publicly available data on the platforms where other engines of stated thrust ratings are used, the next two members, KTJ-400 and KTJ-1200, might be utilised for high-speed kamikaze UAVs.
