In-house built engines to power Türkiye’s cruise missiles

The variety and number of Türkiye’s domestic engines being delivered to carry nationally built cruise missiles to their targets have increased in recent years with work on domestic production gaining momentum as companies operating in the defense sector report receiving demand from abroad for the engines.

Among those products, Türkiye’s domestic turbojet engines, the KTJ-3200 and KTJ-1750 developed by Kale Group, were exhibited for the first time at the SAHA Expo Defense, Aviation and Space Industry Fair.

Speaking at the fair, Kale Group Vice Chairperson and Technical Group President Osman Okyay told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they have been working on developing and producing turbojet engines for 10 years.

Emphasizing that engines, especially jet engines, are among the most important components in the defense industry, Okyay explained that when developing jet engines, engine companies around the world only concentrate on the “core engine,” namely the compressor group, combustion chamber and tribune group.

“While we were developing the engine, we also designed many subsystems such as the pyrotechnic igniters, electronic control unit, fuel pump, fuel group, bearings and alternators,” he said.

Stressing that the achievements have been accomplished domestically, Okyay said: “We have accomplished all of these in the country, either by ourselves or by working with our business partners and universities.”

Noting that last year the company signed a mass production agreement for the KTJ-3200 engine, which will be used in Roketsan-built Stand-Off Missile (SOM), a long-range air-to-surface cruise missile that can hit targets up to 240 kilometers (149 miles) away, and the long-range anti-ship missile Atmaca, Okyay stated that it took some time for all subsystems and parts of the engine to enter mass production.

Stating that they have completed all these processes and started deliveries, Okyay said the company delivered four engines last month and the deliveries “will continue with very high numbers next year.”

Okyay said that they are not limited to the KTJ-3200 in their engine development projects, stressing that the company has developed three different engines that the country needs.

He explained that engine production is actually a bottleneck in the world, and there are very few manufacturers.

“There are very few companies like us that can produce engines that are not subject to any restrictions,” he went on to say, noting that about 10 countries have already contacted the company “after hearing the news of these engines.”

“We keep some of them waiting, some of them are in contract negotiations,” Okyay said, noting that there are developed Western countries among the interested parties.

“This is obviously an even more interesting thing,” he added, as the engine issue has always been an area where Türkiye is dependent on the West but now a Western country wants engines from Türkiye.