GÖKBEY’s TS1400 Engine & Indigenization: Toward a Local Heart

The TEI TS1400 indigenous helicopter engine.

The single most strategic feature of the GÖKBEY (T625) utility helicopter is the engine at its heart. Serial GÖKBEYs today fly on the foreign LHTEC CTS800-4AT turboshafts, but Turkey’s goal is to move the platform onto the fully indigenous TEI TS1400. That transition is not just a technical upgrade — it is a decisive threshold for supply-chain security and export freedom.

What is the TS1400?

The TS1400 is Turkey’s first indigenous helicopter turboshaft engine, developed by TEI (TUSAŞ Engine Industries). The program began on 7 March 2017, and the engine was unveiled on 11 December 2020. The GÖKBEY made its first flight on the TS1400 on 19 April 2023, the most concrete step yet toward a “local airframe, local engine” configuration.

TS1400 technical specifications

Specification	Value
Type	Turboshaft (helicopter engine)
Take-off power	1,400 shp
Max continuous power	1,500 shp (1,100 kW)
One-engine-inoperative (OEI)	1,740 shp / 30 s · 1,660 shp / 120 s
Compressor	Two-stage centrifugal
Turbine	Two-stage
Pressure ratio	12:1
Turbine inlet temperature	1,400 °C
Control	FADEC
Manufacturer	TEI (TUSAŞ Engine Industries)

CTS800 vs TS1400

Each serial GÖKBEY currently carries two CTS800-4AT engines (about 1,373 shp each), built by the US–UK joint venture LHTEC (Honeywell–Rolls-Royce) and therefore subject to third-party approval for export and supply. Being indigenous, the TS1400 removes that dependency.

Metric	CTS800-4AT	TEI TS1400
Origin	LHTEC (US/UK)	Indigenous (TEI)
Take-off power	~1,373 shp	1,400 shp
Max continuous	—	1,500 shp
Supply/export	Foreign approval	Independent
Role	Current standard	Target standard

Effect on indigenization

In any defence platform, “local content” drops most sharply at the engine line, because turboshaft technology is held by only a handful of nations. Integrating the TS1400 raises the GÖKBEY’s local content in its most critical subsystem and frees the platform from third-party export vetoes — a strategic lever for Turkey’s helicopter-export ambitions.

Serial-production timeline

The 57-aircraft package ordered at IDEF 2025 (24 July 2025) is planned for delivery from 2028 with indigenous TS1400 engines, moving the TS1400 from prototype and test phase to a serial-delivery standard.

Why it matters

An indigenous engine means a sanction-resistant supply chain. Localizing the engine gives the GÖKBEY uninterrupted sustainment for the Turkish Armed Forces and freedom of action when exporting to friendly and allied nations. The TS1400 also strengthens the indigenous engine family underpinning other platforms such as the ATAK-2.