Pakistan Army's T-129 ATAK Helicopter Deal | Updates & Discussions.

[turkbordobereli]

 

[Khaqan Humayun]

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Please......

let it sink in there will be no Cobras No ApAcheeeeee...

There will be be no Turkish helicopters (the chopper is not even in serial production)


Enjoy the pulao however

 

[C130]

why didn't Turkey go for a 30mm cannon instead of the M197?

 

[Super Falcon]

Welll i dont see them coming to PA

 

[Ahmad Iqbal]

(Y) Awesome

 

[Knight Rider]

TAI/AgustaWestland T129

The TAI/AgustaWestland T129 is an attack helicopter based on the Agusta A129 Mangusta. The T129 was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), with AgustaWestland as the primary partner. The helicopter is designed for hot and high environments.

The ATAK programme was begun to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' requirements for an attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopter. The T129 is the result of the integration of Turkish developed high-tech avionics and weapon systems onto the combat proven AgustaWestland A129 airframe, with upgraded engines, transmission and rotor blades. It is in use by the Turkish Army, and is being offered to other air forces.

The ATAK programme was begun to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' requirements for an attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopter. Turkey announced on 30 March 2007 that it had decided to negotiate with AgustaWestland to co-develop and produce 51 (with 40 options) attack helicopters based on the Agusta A129 Mangusta.Based on the AW129, the helicopter is to be assembled in Turkey by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) as the T-129. A contract was signed on 7 September 2007 worth $1.2 billion. Turkey's attack helicopter project is named "ATAK".

On 22 June 2008, the agreement between TUSAS Aerospace Industries (TAI) and AgustaWestland formally entered into force. Under the agreement, TAI will develop an indigenous mission computer, avionics, weapons systems, self-protection suites and the helmet-mounting cuing systems. Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) will manufacture the LHTEC CTS800-4Nengines under licence. Under the agreement, Turkey has full marketing and intellectual property rights for the T-129 platform; Turkey can export or transfer of the platform to third countries, excluding Italy and the United Kingdom.

The T129 was optimized for hot and high conditions. It has several key improvements over the original A129 inline with the requirements of the Turkish Army. The T129 will carry 12 Roketsan-developed UMTAS anti-tank missiles (Turkish indigenous development similar to Hellfire II). It will use the more powerful LHTEC T800 (CTS800-4) engine.

The T129 features a 20 mm gatling-style cannon in a nose turret. It can carry a combination of 70 mm rocket pods, Stinger air-air missile pods, and gun pods on its stub wing pylons.

On 16 July 2007, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Meteksan Savunma Sanayii AŞ and Bilkent University formed a consortium for the development of an advanced millimetre wave radar (MILDAR), similar to the Longbow and the IAI/ELTA radars. It is planned that the radar will enter service in mid-2009. The MILDAR project was successfully completed in February 2012.

A media report indicates that one helicopter will be kept by the Turkish Ministry of Defense and used as a test-bed for systems development. The remaining 50 helicopters will be delivered to the Turkish Army. An optional 40 more T129 helicopters will be produced if necessary.These 50 T129s are to be designated T129B.

On 28 September 2009, the T129's maiden flight took placed when P1 prototype flew at AgustaWestland's facilities in Vergiate, Italy.

In November 2010, Turkey ordered an additional nine T129 helicopters to increase its total ordered to 60. These T129s are to meet an urgent operational requirement for the Turkish Army and will be built by TAI for delivery in 2012, one year before the start of delivery the previously ordered 51 helicopters. These T129s are designated T129A, as they lack advanced anti-tank missiles. As a result of project delays, the T129As were to enter service in 2013.

 

[BaybarsHan]

 

[SRBM2]

why didn't Turkey go for a 30mm cannon instead of the M197?

Well for such a lightweight of Attack Helicopter and seeing how far front the M197 gatling gun is, exchanging it for a 30mm auto cannon would result in same and even worse problems than the Tiger helicopters have.

The Tiger is already very light weight helicopter and has its 30mm M781 Nexter 30, it was reported to have created enorm vibrations when firing it off-bore and even cracks at the fuselage and gun mounting have been recognized to occure after a while. This one of the things i critizes about the Tiger, higher calibre doesn't make sense when it brings more problems than solutions and when Tiger operating countries are stupid enough to adopt COIN mission and strike profiles they should go with 20mm GIAT weapons which have even better accuracy and would not make the entire off-bore engagements to a ridiculous amount of ammunition wasting.

And the main use of auto cannons are mainly soft target anway no need trying to go for higher calibre that won't be able to crack tanks anyway. It is actually very wise decision to stay with 20mm gun on such small and leight weight helicopter. The M197 will already make enough trouble to let turky deal with it. Guns regardless how you mount them make always troubles and having a gun like A/T-129 right beneath EO ball is already enough work to deal with the vibrations, gyrostabilized EO ball or not.

 

[nomi007]

need to speedup the deal

 

[SRBM2]

Lol he has no source. A129 is one of the successful programs, A/T-129 comes second to AH-64 even the Tiger struggles to come at No 3, we know T-129 Airframe/Armor is strengthen high level of crashworthiness and ballistic tolerance provide high battlefield survivability.

Just don't feed the troll.

Haha A/T-129 are beneath Tiger, beneath any attack Helicopter that is out there. The fact that Turkey had to buy A-129 because it was the absolutley only Attack Helicopter where they could get ToT license. If US,Russia or EU offered ToT license for Apache,Cobra,Hind,Havoc,Hocum or Tiger they would go for any of those helicopters than A-129. Light Attack Helicopters are not even in same league of the heavy attack helicopters.
Yes the airframe is the worst of all listed above and turkey wanted ToT license because turkey sees the necessity to develope their Military Industrial Complex that is why they need technologies and bought of several technologies and even failed or canceled projects and now develope them for only one purpose to develope their MIC capabilities to get self suficient, not because each of this technology is so "high quality".

But a very good joke A/T-129 to even compare it with heavy attack helicopters.

 

[Basel]

T-129 with full TOT for PAA is now in final negotiations as I have received this news from 2 different army officers on twitter, one of which is a PAA pilot and also a Turkish member here on PDF once posted that PAA will get version 2 of it with rotor mounted radar and capability to carry AAMs.

 

[Hurter]

Yeh kab ho rha hai waise?

 

[Basel]

Yeh kab ho rha hai waise?

don't know time frame hope this deal go through it will be big boost in our defensive & offensive capabilities as it comes with potent weapons which PAA don't have now.

 

[cabatli_53]

T129 Atak-A first time in a real Turkish Army exercise called Atis Serbest...