Established in 2013 as a subsidiary of Kale Group to design and develop turbine engines, Kale Arge started with the KTJ-3200, the number indicating the thrust in newtons, to then add new products to the family, and is now ready to provide its turbojets to national missile manufacturers, namely Roketsan
This will allow Turkey to have full control on its missile design and production, the aim of the nation being to reach near-fully independence on military equipment, and to also become a major international player in the defence production.
As said the KTJ-3200 was the first engine to be developed by Kale Arge, allowing the company to acquire the know-how that was the exploited for the development of the other members of the KTJ family. It therefore not come as a surprise if the development of that engine took 10 years.
The 3,200 N thrust engine is pretty compact, being 630 mm long with a 330 mm diameter, with a mass of 50 kg, including controls and accessories. It has a specific fuel consumption of 1.18 kg/h/daN and can use Jet A-1, JP-8 or JP-10 fuels. Its 3 kVA output allows powering all missile subsystems. The KTJ-3200 can be started at altitudes between 0 and 6,000 metres, and at speeds between Mach 0 and Mach 0.9. As for performances, its operating range goes from 0 to 6,000 metres and speed from Mach 0 to Mach 0.95.
Kale Arge started serial production of the KTJ-3200, which will become the standard engine on two different missiles produced by Roketsan, Atmaca anti-ship missile and the SOM stand-off missile air-to-surface cruise missile, both having a 250 km range, replacing turbojets of foreign origin. The company has already inked contracts for an undisclosed number of engines.
The two following members of the KTJ family were developed in a much shorter thanks to the experience acquired on the 3200. The KTJ-3700 is in fact a direct derivative of the lower thrust engine, as it has exactly the same physical characteristics and dimensions. EDR On-Line understood that the over 15% increase in thrust is due to a refinement of aerodynamics inside the engine. While all parameters remain identical to those of the KTJ-3200, specific fuel consumption is reduced to 1.12 kg/h/daN.
The KTJ-3700 is in low-rate initial production (LRIP) and has been fully tested, having been even tested on a Kara Atmaca long-range surface-to-surface cruise missile, which in August 2024 performed its longest range and longest duration flight test since the beginning of development trials. Declared range is 280 km but this might be a conservative figure.
Kale Arge received an initial LRIP contract not only for the KTJ-3700 but also for the smaller KTJ-1750, aimed at equipping the 150 km+ Çakir cruise missile that can be launched from land, naval and, air platforms. Much smaller, 464 mm long with a 202 mm diameter, and with a mass less than half, 22.5 kg, it can export up to 2.3 kVA and has a specific fuel consumption of 1.17 kg/h/daN.
With its first three engines in full or low-rate production, Kale Arge is adapting its facility for improving its test capacity, its altitude test facility being improved from 5,000 to 10,000 metres. Work should be finished by year end. EDR On-Line understood that some new products are already on their way, which might be unveiled in future exhibitions.
Photos by P. Valpolini