A new critical infrastructure has been added to Türkiye’s defense and aviation ecosystem as part of the country’s national engine development goals. The Subsystems Test Center established by TRMOTOR on the Gebze Technical University campus was opened with the participation of President of the Presidency of Defense Industries Haluk Görgün. At the center, critical subsystems used in TRMOTOR’s national engines and auxiliary power systems, particularly the TF35000, will be tested and verified.

The new test center stands out as a strategic step in completing the engineering process from design to verification with domestic capabilities in national engine technologies. In aviation engines, developing the main engine alone is not sufficient; the subsystems that ensure the safe and stable operation of the engine must also be tested under demanding conditions. Therefore, verifying critical functions such as fuel control, lubrication, air-oil separation, power transmission and high-speed endurance in scenarios close to real operating conditions plays a decisive role in bringing the engine to operational maturity.

Among the test infrastructures at the center, the ATS Overrunning Test Rig holds an important place. This system will be used to verify the high-speed operating mode of the Air Turbine Starter equipment integrated with the platform engine. In addition, the performance of the air-oil separation unit in the lubrication system of the TF35000 engine will be tested with the TF35000 Deoiler Test Rig. Such infrastructures are critical for demonstrating the reliability and durability of the engine under different operating regimes.

The TF35000 FMU Test Rig will also be used at TRMOTOR’s Subsystems Test Center. This infrastructure will verify the response of the engine’s fuel metering unit to changing operating conditions such as fuel flow, pressure and rate. In addition, the power transmission and lubrication systems of the auxiliary power unit will be tested under load, temperature and endurance conditions with the APU Gearbox Test Rig. In this way, national engines and auxiliary power systems will be evaluated not only at the design level, but also under conditions close to real mission environments.

Another important aspect of the center is that it brings university-industry cooperation into practice. Established on the campus of Gebze Technical University, the infrastructure will offer hands-on learning opportunities for students studying engine technologies and support academic research. This structure will contribute to training the qualified human resources Türkiye needs in aviation engines while strengthening technical knowledge sharing between the defense industry and academia.

TRMOTOR General Manager Osman Saim Dinç stated that the center marks an important step toward verifying the critical subsystems of national engines and auxiliary power systems with domestic test infrastructures. Dinç emphasized that TRMOTOR continues to act with the approach of “national power in engineering” across processes from design to testing and will keep working to provide Türkiye with test infrastructures that reduce foreign dependence in national engine technologies.

The TRMOTOR Subsystems Test Center opened in Gebze is considered an important threshold for Türkiye not only in aviation engine design and production, but also in gaining independence in testing and verification. The ability to test critical subsystems of national engines with domestic infrastructure will accelerate development processes, reduce foreign dependence and create a strong engineering foundation for Türkiye’s future fighter aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and auxiliary power system projects.