TUSAŞ and Saudi Arabia’s state-owned GAMI have signed a MoU for the joint production of the T625 GÖKBEY utility helicopter, paving the way for the first export.
TUSAŞ and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) have signed a MoU for the joint production of the T625 GÖKBEY utility helicopter in various configurations for Saudi use and potentially other countries at the WDS2026 defence exhibition.
The MoU can be said to have paved the way for T625 GÖKBEY’s first export, as this was the case for KAAN fighter (Indonesia) and HÜRJET advanced trainer/LCA (Spain).
T625 GÖKBEY was developed as a six-tonne-class utility helicopter to succeed the UH-1 and its variants in Turkish service and place TUSAŞ as a player in the global utility helicopter market, which has a considerable scale due to the dual-service nature of the type.
Indigenous TS1400 Engine Adapted for Certifications
TEI’s CEO, Mahmut F. Akşit, announced that the indigenous TS1400 turboshaft engines that use components compliant with civilian aviation regulations will soon run on T625 GÖKBEY this year. TS1400 will replace the CTS800 turboshaft engine used in the initial production helicopters.
TS1400 complying with regulations is critical for the sustained production of T625 GÖKBEY for the export market, as TUSAŞ intends to produce the utility helicopter in large numbers for both military and civilian service.
Saudi Arabia as a Possible Partner for KAAN Fighter
Alongside T625 GÖKBEY, Saudi Arabia might also become a partner for the KAAN fighter, which is soon to enter a richer testing phase in terms of sortie count and flight performance evaluations.
Shortly after the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement that Saudi Arabia and Turkiye can make a joint investment at any moment, TUSAŞ exhibited KAAN with Saudi livery at WDS2026.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
