Türkiye’s Kaan aircraft power system developer targets new platforms

Turkish engineering and defense tech company Volt Technology is looking to expand its domestically developed aircraft electrical power generation systems to additional national aviation platforms, its top executive said Tuesday.

That plan follows Volt’s successful development of the main power system for Türkiye’s indigenous fifth-generation Kaan fighter jet, with new projects now underway for the Hürjet advanced jet trainer and Gökbey multirole utility helicopter.

The western Izmir-based company, one of a limited number of manufacturers worldwide capable of developing aircraft main power generation systems, has already adapted the technology developed for Kaan to the Hürküş trainer aircraft.

Development work continues for Hürjet and Gökbey, Volt Technology General Manager Ulaş Tutan told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Aircraft main power generation systems, which include generators, alternators and control units, provide continuous electrical power for onboard systems and are considered critical for flight safety and mission performance.

Developed without reverse engineering

Volt said it began work on Kaan’s indigenous power generation system about four years ago, developing the product from scratch without copying or reverse engineering an existing design.

The company said the system’s architecture, control algorithms and electromagnetic design were created entirely through domestic engineering expertise before undergoing design validation, environmental and functional testing, electromagnetic compatibility assessments, integration and certification.

The system was used during Kaan’s taxi tests and maiden flight campaign.

Building on the engineering experience gained through the Kaan program, Volt has completed research and development work to adapt the system for the Hürküş aircraft and has started deliveries.

The company is also developing next-generation electrical power generation systems tailored to the different performance and power requirements of the Hürjet and Gökbey, Tutan said.

‘Only handful of companies can do this’

Tutan said Volt was established to develop advanced technologies, bring them into serial production and support Türkiye’s indigenous defense programs.

“Our most important achievement has been the alternator, generator and control units we developed for the national fighter Kaan,” Tutan said.

“As a result of our R&D activities since 2020, Kaan completed its taxi tests and first flight using our products. We succeeded in developing a product that had never before been produced in Türkiye and that perhaps only five companies worldwide are capable of manufacturing.”

Tutan said the company supplies the generator and control unit that provide electrical power to Kaan’s onboard systems.

“We produce the generator that provides Kaan’s electrical power together with its control unit. We power all the electrical systems, the heart of the aircraft, that require electrical power,” he said.

Tutan said their product has successfully fulfilled the expected functions in the tests. However, he said their in-flight trials are still ongoing.

“The product we have developed is a high-tech product. Only five companies in the world are capable of manufacturing such a product, and providing this product with that level of technology requires significant infrastructure. We are currently able to provide this infrastructure,” he said.

Supporting exports

Tutan said Volt aims to equip Türkiye’s growing fleet of domestically developed aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, with locally produced electrical power systems to eliminate foreign dependence.

“We have the capability to customize products in different kilowatt ratings and sizes for those platforms,” he said.

“Our main objective is to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers to zero,” he added.

He added that using domestically developed subsystems on aircraft exported abroad would both reduce external dependency and make exports easier by minimizing reliance on imported components.

DAILYSABAH