From Cobra to ATAK: Türkiye’s Attack Helicopter Transition

From Imported to Indigenous series · File 5 · Sarp Güçlü

For nearly half a century, Türkiye’s attack-helicopter fleet rested on the American-built Cobra family. Since 2014, that role has been passing to the TUSAŞ-built T129 ATAK. But the handover is not a clean retirement story: some Cobras are still on duty, and ATAK’s engine — among other components — remains foreign-sourced.

What was the old system?

Türkiye bought ten Bell-built AH-1W SuperCobras in the early 1990s, backed by 32 second-hand US Army AH-1 Cobras later upgraded to AH-1F standard. In 1996 the Clinton administration blocked the sale of ten more AH-1Ws on human-rights grounds, an early sign of the political risk attached to relying on US-origin platforms. The Cobra fleet saw heavy use against the PKK in mountainous terrain — low-altitude missions that left it exposed to man-portable air-defense systems. On 13 May 2016, an AH-1W was shot down by a 9K38 Igla MANPADS, killing both pilots. By 2022, only ten Cobras remained airworthy.

Why was an indigenous platform needed?

The fleet’s age, its exposure to US political constraints like the 1996 block, and its vulnerability in low-altitude combat pushed Türkiye toward a new attack helicopter in the early 2000s. Per the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), the aim was to meet the Land Forces’ attack-helicopter requirement through Turkish-based capability; TUSAŞ became prime contractor under the contract signed 7 September 2007. Rather than buy a finished platform again, Türkiye sought a partnership giving it a voice in development. The resulting helicopter was not a clean-sheet design but derived from AgustaWestland’s Italian A129 Mangusta — the path began with licensed co-development, not sovereign design.

How was the indigenous product developed?

Turkey announced it would negotiate with AgustaWestland on 30 March 2007; the $1.2 billion contract followed on 7 September 2007, taking effect 22 June 2008. The first prototype, P1, flew on 28 September 2009 in Vergiate, Italy; the Turkish-built P6 prototype’s first flight was announced 17 August 2011. ASELSAN’s MILDAR fire-control radar completed development in February 2012. In 2013, the initial production batch reportedly exceeded its weight target, requiring a 137 kg tail addition. The first serial delivery came on 22 April 2014, with the first nine T129A (interim EDH standard) entering Land Forces service that May; the final EDH-standard delivery was completed 31 July 2015. The upgraded Phase-2 configuration, with added electronic-warfare systems, followed into serial production. TUSAŞ’s official page lists 76 helicopters planned for the Land Forces Command (59 firm, 17 optional) and 27 for the Ministry of Interior (24 firm, 3 optional). Export orders took shape in parallel: the Philippine Air Force selected the T129B in December 2018, with a six-unit 2021 contract delivered in two batches — four by December 2022, the last two in May 2024. Nigeria’s six-unit 2021 order saw its first two delivered in November 2023. In 2019, SSB signed a separate contract with TUSAŞ for a heavy-class successor, ATAK-2 (T929).

Old vs. new: the comparison

How much is indigenous?

Per SSB figures cited by Defence Turkey in May 2018, 6,300 of the T129’s 6,500 parts were then Turkish-made; a separate SSB-sourced figure from the same period put localization at 50-55 percent — the two numbers rest on different metrics (part count vs. value-added) and aren’t directly comparable, and no current official rate is public. ASELSAN supplies the electronic warfare suite, the MILDAR fire-control radar, the ASELFLIR-300T electro-optical system and the HUNTER helmet-mounted sight; Roketsan’s CIRIT laser-guided rocket and UMTAS/L-UMTAS anti-tank missile are also domestic, largely replacing the imported TOW and Hydra 70 munitions the Cobra carried. Airframe structure, avionics integration and final assembly happen at TUSAŞ’s Ankara facilities. The powerplant, however, remains foreign: both engines are LHTEC CTS800-series units, built by the Honeywell/Rolls-Royce joint venture, with TEI license-building the CTS800-4N variant. TEI is reported to be working on an indigenous alternative engine, though public details and timeline remain unclear.

Has it really replaced the old system?

It is being gradually replaced. The T129 ATAK effectively took over the Land Forces’ primary attack-helicopter role from 2014; the Gendarmerie and police aviation units later added their own helicopters — the Gendarmerie’s 16th ATAK was reportedly delivered in December 2025. But that did not mean the Cobra left the stage entirely. On 21 February 2022, at a ceremony in Gölcük Naval Base, all ten Army AH-1W SuperCobras were transferred to the Naval Air Command — the first attack-helicopter type in Navy service. Reports say these Cobras will operate from TCG Anadolu until the ATAK-2 becomes operational, after which they are to be retired. In other words, the Cobra left the Army but not the inventory; its role shifted to the Navy, and it was shown supporting amphibious operations at the 2026 EFES exercise. Current, official totals for Land Forces T129s are inconsistent across years (45, 55, 56 have all been cited by SSB/TUSAŞ at different points), and no single up-to-date figure for 2024-2026 could be confirmed; the current in-service count is therefore left unstated.

Parallels elsewhere

The shift from Cobra-family aircraft to an indigenous platform is not unique to Türkiye. South Korea is replacing its own AH-1S Cobra fleet with KAI’s Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) — both countries localizing a related lineage through different industrial models, a pattern echoing this series’ file on the ALTAY tank. T129 itself is part of that export dynamic: Pakistan’s 2018 contract for 30 units stalled for years over the US-controlled engine export licence, and Pakistan reportedly moved toward China’s Z-10, while the Philippines and Nigeria deals closed without such obstacles, since separate engine approvals were secured for those sales. Poland’s PIORUN man-portable missile and Türkiye’s own ATMACA anti-ship missile, covered earlier in this series, show a similar gradual pattern: the old system didn’t vanish overnight, the new one was fielded in limited numbers first, then scaled up.

Strategic and industrial outcome

The ATAK programme marked the first time TUSAŞ (then TAI) held full prime-contractor responsibility on an attack-helicopter platform, experience that fed directly into the 2019 ATAK-2 (T929) development contract. On exports, the completed Philippine and Nigerian deliveries show real international buyers; 2025 deliveries to Somalia and a 2025 Bangladesh contract extend that list. But dependence on a third country’s (the US) export licence for a critical subsystem like the engine can block real commercial opportunities, as the Pakistan case shows — making TEI’s indigenous-engine effort a matter of export sovereignty, not just technical self-sufficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Primary:
TUSAŞ official product page — T129 ATAK
Defence Turkey — AH-1W SuperCobra transfer to Naval Air Command (February 2022)

Independent:
Defense News — TAI’s T129 export hopes hinge on US license (2015)
Defense News — Pakistan extends Turkey’s deadline to deliver T129 helos (2020)
Army Recognition — T129 ATAK joins Gendarmerie fleet (2025)
Wikipedia — Bell AH-1 SuperCobra (specifications and Turkish operational history)