Türkiye's first indigenous multirole helicopter, the T625 Gökbey developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), conducted its debut international flight demonstration on Monday at a major aviation summit held in the U.K.
The helicopter made a seven-minute flight show at the prestigious Farnborough International Airshow, a gathering of top executives from airlines, aircraft makers and weapons manufacturers, taking place between July 22-26.
The five-day event, located southwest of London at an airport typically used for private jets, is expected to attract some 75,000 visitors and 1,200 exhibitors.
Held biennially, Farnborough rivals the Dubai and Paris airshows in significance, providing a critical platform for companies to showcase their latest defense hardware and lower-emission aircraft.
The T625 is being developed as part of the Original Helicopter Program, coordinated by the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB). The T625 Gökbey utility helicopter, designed to operate effectively in high-altitude and high-temperature conditions day and night, even in the most challenging climates and geographies, is designed and manufactured using national facilities and capabilities.
With the flight during the event, Gökbey demonstrated the progress Türkiye achieved in aviation technology and its competitiveness in the international arena.
Speaking on the occasion TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu stated that the Farnborough International Aviation Fair is an important fair where the latest point of aviation technologies in the world can be seen most clearly.
"We are exhibiting all our products here to show how assertive we are with the opportunities and capabilities we have," he said.
"It is especially important for our country that T625 Gökbey flies in Farnborough. There is a serious demand for our product. We want to give export news for many of our platforms in a short time," he added.
Gökbey is expected to make four flights during the event, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Its developer TAI, at the same time, will exhibit its other technology products and platforms it has developed within the scope of the fair.