Havelsan enhances Turkey's Gökbey helicopter with next-generation flight simulator
The state-owned defense firm unveiled a full-motion training system that dramatically reduces the cost of training Gökbey pilots.
Technology — March 2, 2026
Turkish defense company Havelsan has unveiled a next-generation full-motion flight simulator for the TAI/TEI T-625 Gökbey helicopter, significantly expanding the domestic training infrastructure for the country's indigenously designed rotary-wing platform.
The simulator replicates the Gökbey's cockpit with a high degree of fidelity and incorporates a six-axis motion platform, high-resolution visual system, and real-time weather and threat-environment modeling.
'This system will allow us to train pilots to a much higher standard at a fraction of the cost of live flying hours,' said Havelsan CEO Mehmet Akif Nacar at the unveiling ceremony in Ankara.
The Gökbey helicopter, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and powered by TEI's domestically produced TS1400 engine, entered service with the Turkish Armed Forces in 2023 and is already drawing export interest from several countries.
Havelsan's simulation division has previously developed training systems for the F-16 and the T129 ATAK attack helicopter, which are exported alongside those platforms.
Turkey's defense ministry said the new simulator will be integrated into the Turkish Air Force's advanced pilot training curriculum beginning in mid-2026.
