Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) stepped up its efforts to procure eight Turkish T129 ATAK attack helicopters, with Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan meeting two top representatives of Turkish Aerospace Industries at Air Headquarters in Dhaka on Wednesday (January 14).
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) Corporate Marketing and Communications head Bertan Kurt and Colonel Himi Baris Yildiz, the Military Attache at the Turkish embassy in Dhaka met Air Chief Marshal Khan between 9:30 and 10:15 am at the Air HQ.
Eight other representatives of TAI, including those from the ANKA UAV and ATAK programmes, arrived in Dhaka on January 13 and began meeting various BAF officers involved in the process to acquire drones and attack helicopters.
TAI Flight Test Director Arif Ates, ANKA UAV Manager Nur Muhammad Akbulut, T129 ATAK Manager Mustafa Aykut Sarac, TAI Marketing Operations head Bahadir Siyez, Intelligence Product Manager Davuk Cikrikci, Business Development Executive Cagnur Guney, Corporate Marketing Ecountry Executive Ramazan Talha Ustum and Defence Attache Colonel Erdal Shahin are part of the team.
What is noteworthy is that on January 13, Ates met Principal Staff Officer at Bangladesh’s Armed Forces Division, Lieutenant Colonel S M Kamrul Hassan at Dhaka Cantonment to discuss bilateral opportunities and defence cooperation between Dhaka and Istanbul.
The ANKA series of drones belongs to the family of Turkish Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), manufactured by TAI. These drones are used for reconnaissance, surveillance and strike missions, with specific variants like the Anka-S featuring advanced radar and satellite communication for naval and land operations. These drones have over a 24-hour endurance and are capable of high-altitude flight.
The ATAK attack helicopters, which Bangladesh will likely procure soon, are developed jointly by AgustaWestland and TAI for the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLF) as well as for export to other countries.
The T129 features an aluminium alloy frame fitted to a five-bladed main rotor, a two-bladed tail rotor and wheeled landing gear. Designed to operate in hot conditions, the T129 can be deployed in a wide range of operations, including attack, reconnaissance and deterrent missions.
Stealth features and significant weapon systems allow the T129 to operate in complex battlefield environments and confined areas, and ballistic tolerance has been increased for high survivability. Capable of operating in day and night conditions, the helicopter is equipped with a laser rangefinder/designator, night vision (helmet-mounted display system) and an emergency locator transmitter (ELT).
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The helicopter has four hardpoints to carry a weaponry payload of 1,200 kg. Its stub wing pylons can accommodate anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), air-to-air missiles (ATAM), 70mm (2.75in) rockets and 70mm (2.75in) guided rockets. A 20mm turreted three-barrel gun system will be fitted on a nose turret. Optional armament includes 12.7mm gun pods.
