“We deliver flight-critical parts with high precision for both civil and military platforms”

With around 16,000 employees and a 4 million m2 campus, Turkish Aerospace offer fully integrated capabilities from design and engineering to composite manufacturing and final assembly to a broad range of markets including defence, commercial aviation, space and unmanned systems. Our product portfolio spans fighter jets, helicopters, UAVs, satellites and complex aerostructures for leading OEMs. In composites, we deliver flight-critical parts with high precision for both civil and military platforms. We continue to invest in R&D, digital transformation and workforce development.

With more than 50 years of existence, how has the relationship with composite materials evolved within the group?

Turkish Aerospace’s relationship with composite materials began in 1989 and has significantly evolved over the years. Initially starting with 2 production facilities, our company expanded in 2021 by opening a 3rd facility, becoming the largest composite production site in Türkiye in terms of capacity with a total enclosed area of 135,638 m2. Besides, the total area of clean rooms used for composite part production with the hand lay-up technique is 14,864 m2. Today, Turkish Aerospace produces 180,000 parts annually with the support of 75 engineers and 905 technicians. The scope of applications has grown across both civilian and military projects, covering a wide range of components such as wings, fuselage skins, rotor blades, doors and control surfaces.

Rotor blades are known as one of the hardest composite components to manufacture due to the complexity of their structure and the critical nature of their function. With years of experience, Turkish Aerospace has successfully produced rotor blades for helicopter programs such as T625 GÖKBEY and T129 ATAK since 2013. In addition, brand-new rotor blade designs for upcoming helicopter projects are actively being developed, tested and certified at Turkish Aerospace.

Furthermore, we use advanced techniques like automated fibre placement and resin infusion to produce large, flight critical structures. Over time, the volume, technical complexity and functional diversity of composite production have continuously increased.

As international tensions intensify, how is Turkish Aerospace organising itself to meet a growing demand in the aerospace field?

Turkish Aerospace is proactively strengthening its supply chain and composite capabilities to stay ahead. We’re expanding and diversifying our supplier network, both locally and internationally, to ensure resilience and flexibility. At the same time, we’ve invested heavily in advanced composite manufacturing – automated layup systems, large-scale autoclaves and rigorous quality controls – enabling us to meet rising demand with precision and speed.

To secure long-term access to composite materials, we maintain close partnerships with key suppliers and pursue strategic agreements, while also developing local alternatives through focused R&D.

The recruitment and retention of qualified personnel in the fi eld of composites is a significant challenge, how does the group ensure the quality of its workforce?

At Turkish Aerospace, we recognise that our greatest strength lies in our people. To attract top talent, we collaborate with leading universities, offer tailored SKY long-term internship programs and engineering enhancement training programs, and participate in national talent development initiatives.
 

Retention is just as critical. We invest in continuous training, certification programs and career development paths designed specifically for composite professionals.


photo: Future thinking and foresight analysis aim to develop technology policies that foster a competitive future in the aerospace and defence sector