TUSAŞ to Establish Turkey's First Lightning Test Facility

TUSAŞ Establishes Turkey's First Lightning Test Facility Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) is nearing completion of the Lightning Test Facility, where testing of proprietary products will be conducted. The Lightning Test Facility, expected to become operational in 2023, will enable observation of lightning effects on all objects including aircraft and evaluation of protective measures. The facility will conduct its initial testing operations specifically on the National Combat Aircraft. The Lightning Test Facility, which will be used for testing all proprietary products manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries, will have its first assignment as the National Combat Aircraft project (MMU). At the Lightning Test Facility, which will conduct its initial tests on the MMU, testing will verify that the MMU suffers no physical damage or electromagnetic interaction that could compromise flight safety due to lightning effects, and the fuel system will be evaluated. In addition to ensuring flight safety of the MMU, testing will confirm that mission systems are not damaged during lightning strikes and that lightning effects do not prevent the MMU platform from performing its mission. "We continue our investments in high technologies for our defense industry and country" The Lightning Test Facility will enable artificial reproduction of natural lightning events containing high voltage and high current in a laboratory environment in a controlled and measurable manner. The Lightning Test Facility will consist of high voltage and high current generators, fuel test systems, and control and measurement systems. Speaking about the importance of the Lightning Test Facility, Turkish Aerospace Industries General Director Prof. Dr. Temel Kotil said, "We continue our investments in high technologies for our defense industry and country. We take justified pride in acquiring for our nation another facility that will allow us to conduct testing of all our proprietary products, particularly the National Combat Aircraft, domestically."