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Türkiye has launched a project to convert its aging UH-1 helicopters into unmanned platforms capable of carrying over 1 ton of cargo, with plans to develop conversion kits for thousands of similar aircraft operated by allied nations worldwide.
Titra Teknoloji, a subsidiary of Pasifik Holding, announced on Wednesday that it has signed a contract with the Military Factories General Directorate (AFGM) for the "UH-1 Unmanning Project."
"With this project, we will both bring these helicopters into the inventory with our own resources and develop a kit for converting thousands of UH-1s in friendly allied countries," Titra Teknoloji Co-Founder Selman Donmez told journalists at the company's production facility in Ankara.
The UH-1 Huey, first introduced in the 1950s-60s, remains one of the most widely operated helicopter platforms globally. Converting these aircraft to unmanned operation would provide payload capacity of 1 ton, potentially up to 1.7 tons, compared to the 200-kilogram capacity of current unmanned helicopter systems.
"This will ease logistics operations," Donmez said, adding that "The official project timeline is 36 months, but our internal target is much shorter."
Donmez noted that helicopter manufacturers worldwide have announced unmanned initiatives for their own platforms this year, but Türkiye has been developing this capability for some time.
"We actually started this work by unmanning a manned helicopter. Therefore, our capabilities in unmanning are high. The UH-1 conversion project is actually a result of this," Donmez stated.
The project also targets Bell 206 helicopters for conversion into unmanned platforms with a payload capacity of over 1,000 kg.
Titra Teknoloji General Manager Ekrem Unlu emphasized the strategic importance of the conversion project for logistics operations.
"Current logistics operations with ALPIN require five or more sorties for 1-ton cargo. With the helicopter unmanning projects, this will be reduced to a single sortie," Unlu said.
Unlu said 2026 will mark a transition to mass production for Türkiye's unmanned systems industry.
"We have negotiations that have reached the final stage. 2025 was a year when all products entered the inventory. ALPIN-2 is in the acceptance phase. 2026 will be our mass production year. We expect high-volume orders," Unlu said.
Titra Teknoloji, which employs 250 people at its 6,500-square-meter facility in Kahramankazan, has become a pioneer in unmanned helicopters in Türkiye.
The company said the first military logistics missions in the country were executed using its platforms.
Donmez said the company has established an international presence with a company in Dubai, an office in the United States, and a company formation completed in Romania.
"Romania has become our gateway to Europe, with Titra Europe enabling business partnership discussions with European companies," Unlu said.
"Within the European organization, we aim to be part of major projects in Hungary and Italy. Next year, we plan for half of our revenue to come from exports," he added.
"Work is also underway to enable the DUMRUL and ALPIN platforms to operate under shipboard conditions, and concepts are being developed for MERKUT to detect and destroy airborne UAVs," the company said.
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