Premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi tested the domestically-produced T129 ATAK helicopter
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who was in Turkey’s Istanbul for the Developing Eight (D-8) summit, tested the domestically-produced T129 ATAK helicopter produced by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) on Sunday. Abbasi is the first Pakistani prime minister to fly a military helicopter.
After a brief discussing the T129 ATAK helicopter, the premier conducted a test flight. Accompanied by TAI test pilot Arif Eriş, Abbasi, who sat in the front cockpit, took off from Atatürk Airport for an approximately 30 minute flight.
“The flight was really good, it’s a very impressive helicopter. I would like to thank the TAI CEO Temel Kotil and the team, as well as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As a pilot, I can say that this helicopter is one of the world’s best and most effective helicopters,” said Abbasi.
“We are negotiating the contract and terms, and everything is progressing positively. Hopefully we will take this helicopter and place it on the Pakistani Armed Forces inventory as soon as possible,” he added.
Kotil thanked Abbasi, saying: “We would like to thank the Pakistani premier for his kind words. We are negotiating working together. We hope that this helicopter, which protects Turkey, will also protect Pakistan.”
The helicopter is used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). Pakistan was recently sent a T129 ATAK helicopter for testing purposes. If the negotiations are completed successfully, Turkey will sell top-level military equipment/vehicles to another country for the first time in the history of the republic.
The T129 ATAK helicopter is a light weight attack helicopter equipped with missiles and guns.
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