TRMOTOR has signed strategic partnerships worth approximately $70 million for critical sub-systems under the TF35000 national turbofan engine project. The process, involving TUSAŞ, TAAC, ALP Aviation and other domestic companies, represents a new stage in Türkiye’s goal of achieving independence in engine technologies.
New collaborations launched for critical sub-systems in the national turbofan engine project
Türkiye has entered a new phase in its goal of developing a high-thrust national turbofan engine. Under the TF35000 national turbofan engine project, TRMOTOR signed strategic cooperation agreements worth approximately $70 million for the development and procurement of critical sub-systems.
Held under the auspices of the Presidency of Defence Industries, the signing ceremony was more than just an event announcing new contracts; it also became a concrete demonstration of Türkiye’s objective to expand its domestic industrial supply chain in engine technologies.
Representatives from TUSAŞ, TAAC Aviation Technologies, ALP Aviation, ANOVA Technology, HARPAX, IDAK and PCS Testing Systems attended the ceremony.
Critical TF35000 components entrusted to domestic industry
Under the signed agreements, responsibilities for different critical components of the TF35000 engine were distributed among local companies.
Within this framework:
TUSAŞ will develop the gearbox, ALP Aviation the lubrication system equipment, ANOVA the cooling system equipment, HARPAX the fuel system equipment, TAAC the actuators, IDAK the hydraulic pump, and PCS the equipment test rigs.
Bringing together different areas of expertise on the same engine platform is regarded as another step in Türkiye’s strategy of creating an “integrated production ecosystem” in the defence and aerospace industry.
TF35000 is more than just an engine project
The TF35000 programme holds critical importance for Türkiye’s goal of independently developing engines in the high-thrust class. In defence industry circles, the project is considered a strategic infrastructure investment, particularly for fifth-generation air platforms and advanced national aviation programmes.
In engine development processes, not only the main power unit but also lubrication, fuel, hydraulic, actuation and thermal management systems require advanced engineering capabilities, making such sub-system partnerships even more critical.
For this reason, the signed agreements represent not only supply contracts but also an important milestone in terms of technology sharing, engineering depth and the continuity of domestic production.
Osman Saim Dinç: “A strategic engineering journey”
Speaking at the ceremony, Osman Saim Dinç emphasised that TF35000 is not merely an engine development programme.
Dinç stated, “The TF35000 national turbofan engine development project is a strategic journey that simultaneously expands Türkiye’s engineering expertise, production capability and supply ecosystem in engine technologies. With the step we have taken today, we are advancing domestic capabilities in critical sub-systems to a higher level.”
This statement demonstrates that Türkiye’s rapidly accelerating goal of achieving “fully independent engine technology” in the defence industry is not limited to platform production alone, but also aims to increase localisation within the sub-system architecture.
Engine technologies becoming decisive in global competition
In defence aviation, engine technologies are still regarded as one of the world’s most strategic and most challenging fields. High-thrust turbofan engines in particular are among the areas where only a limited number of countries possess full competence, due to the requirements for material technologies, high-temperature resistance, precision manufacturing and advanced engineering.
For this reason, the domestic industrial partnerships formed around the TF35000 project reflect not only Türkiye’s effort to develop a new engine, but also its strategy to reduce foreign dependency in critical technologies.
