Türkiye’s domestically developed general-purpose helicopter GÖKBEY has achieved a historic success in civil aviation by receiving its airworthiness type certificate. With this certification, Türkiye has joined the limited number of countries in the world capable of helicopter design and certification.
Airworthiness Certificate Presented to GÖKBEY
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu presented the airworthiness certification for the aircraft, engine, and rotor design of the T625 GÖKBEY General Purpose Helicopter to Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that this document is a strong indicator of the level Türkiye has reached in its domestic and national aviation capabilities, adding, “Türkiye continues to rise in its own skies with its own engineering.”
Mass Production Begins: Order for 75 Helicopters
President of Defence Industries Haluk Görgün announced that mass production has started following the type certification of the GÖKBEY helicopter.
Görgün stated that a total of 75 helicopters have been ordered:
- 5 helicopters have been delivered to the Gendarmerie General Command,
- The first civil use will be within the Ministry of Health,
- The first delivery will take place in July 2026.
- Deliveries will continue at six-month intervals.
Türkiye’s First Indigenous Helicopter Certified
Developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries, the T625 GÖKBEY has been granted type certification following comprehensive inspection and verification processes conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
At the ceremony held on 16 March 2026, the certificate was presented by Director General of Civil Aviation Kemal Yüksek to TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu.
Compliance with International Standards Over a 10-Year Process
The certification process, which began in 2016, was completed under the supervision of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and in accordance with international standards.
Within the scope of the process:
- More than 600 technical meetings,
- 186 tests,
- Approximately 18,000 flight test points,
- Over 800 technical documents
were successfully completed. The work was carried out in line with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards (CS-29).
Türkiye Enters the Digital Certification Era
The GÖKBEY project was conducted entirely through the domestically developed KDM-ERP Certification Module, enabling Türkiye to gain digital certification capability in aviation.
Thanks to this system, all processes were managed in a transparent, traceable, and evidence-based manner.
Among the Select Countries in Aviation
With this certification, Türkiye:
- Has become one of the limited number of countries capable of designing and certifying civil helicopters,
- And conducting certification processes entirely in a digital environment.
“The First National Aircraft Capable of Carrying Civil Passengers”
TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu stated that GÖKBEY represents a historic step for Turkish aviation and said:
“GÖKBEY has made its mark in the history of Turkish civil aviation as our first national aircraft capable of carrying civil passengers. This success is the result of years of engineering and testing efforts.”
