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First Operator of T129 ATAK Combat Helicopter in Southeast Asia

First Operator of T129 ATAK Combat Helicopter in Southeast Asia

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced on 22 May that it is sending pilots and maintenance crew to Turkey to undergo training on the Turkish Aerospace (TA) T129B ATAK helicopter, indicating that the PAF's acquisition of the twin-engined combat rotorcraft is progressing.

The PAF's ‘15 Strike Wing' announced via its Facebook account that it held a ‘send-off ceremony' for future T129 pilots and crew, adding that training will begin this month at TA's facilities in Ankara completed in August.

The announcement was made after Serdar Demir, TA's director of marketing and communications, said on 18 May that the US State Department had recently approved the export license for the US-made LHTEC CTS800-4A engines that power the helicopter. This came after TA general manager Temel Kotil told the CNN Türk news channel in April that production of the PAF helicopters would begin “in the coming months.”

PAF is aiming to acquire a minimum of six T129B helicopters, as reported by janes.com

Speaking to Janes on condition of anonymity, Turkish defense sources referred to the engine export approval as a “done deal,” adding that TA is now only awaiting “an official writing” from Washington. They also noted that Demir had “ensured the export approval” after making several visits to Washington.

The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) has repeatedly stated that it wants to procure the T129 ATAK, but Manila had also sought guarantees from Turkey about the platform's export availability.

(janes.com)

Akhyari Hananto

I began my career in the banking industry in 1997, and stayed approx 6 years in it. This industry boost his knowledge about the economic condition in Indonesia, both macro and micro, and how to More understand it. My banking career continued in Yogyakarta when I joined in a program funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),as the coordinator for a program aimed to help improve the quality of learning and teaching process in private universities in Yogyakarta. When the earthquake stroke Yogyakarta, I chose to join an international NGO working in the area of ?disaster response and management, which allows me to help rebuild the city, as well as other disaster-stricken area in Indonesia. I went on to become the coordinator for emergency response in the Asia Pacific region. Then I was assigned for 1 year in Cambodia, as a country coordinator mostly to deliver developmental programs (water and sanitation, education, livelihood). In 2009, he continued his career as a protocol and HR officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, and two years later I joined the Political and Economic Section until now, where i have to deal with extensive range of people and government officials, as well as private and government institution troughout eastern Indonesia. I am the founder and Editor-in-Chief in Good News From Indonesia (GNFI), a growing and influential social media movement, and was selected as one of The Most Influential Netizen 2011 by The Marketeers magazine. I also wrote a book on "Fundamentals of Disaster Management in 2007"?, "Good News From Indonesia : Beragam Prestasi Anak Bangsa di dunia"? which was luanched in August 2013, and "Indonesia Bersyukur"? which is launched in Sept 2013. In 2014, 3 books were released in which i was one of the writer; "Indonesia Pelangi Dunia"?, "Indonesia The Untold Stories"? and "Growing! Meretas Jalan Kejayaan" I give lectures to students in lectures nationwide, sharing on full range of issues, from economy, to diplomacy Less
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