TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries) and Finmeccanica - AgustaWestland announced that the Turkish Armed Forces have taken delivery of the first "T129 ATAK" Advanced Attack and Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter on April 22, 2014.
The aircraft, celebrated yesterday with an official ceremony is the first of 59 (9 in T129A Early Delivery Helicopter version, and 50 in T129B configuration).
The T129 ATAK represents a new generation of twin-engine, two-seat tandem helicopters, designed for attack and reconnaissance purposes. Developed from the proven A129CBT, it incorporates new engines (LHTEC CTS 800-4A), new avionics, vision and weapons, modified airframe, increased transmission and new tail rotor.
The T129A version is equipped with an 20 mm machine gun with 500 capacity shots and can carry up to 4 rockets under the outer pylons, with a total of 76 unguided rockets. The T129B version will also contain the Mizrak and Cirit ATGMs (laser guided rockets from 70mm), designed for the Turkish armed forces and STINGER air-to-air missiles, ensuring effective day and night multi-role capabilities. The T129 ATAK with the best weight / power ratio in its category has a crash-resistant cell design that meets the MIL-STD-1290 requirement and allows asymmetric weapon loads.
The helicopter was selected by the Turkish government in 2007; development and production will be guaranteed by the ATAK Team, a partnership between TAI and Finmeccanica - AgustaWestland.
Source: AgustaWestland
