The 1000th engine of the KJ Series produced by Kale Jet Engines was delivered. Organized in this context, the "Kale Jet Engines KJ Series 1000th Engine Production Ceremony" was held at the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) Nuri Demirağ Meeting Hall.
In his speech at the ceremony, Görgün stated that they were proud to deliver the 1000th engine of Kale Jet Engines and stated that developing the first engine was a great engineering success, and being able to produce and deliver it 1000 times with the same quality was an industrial success in itself.
Stating that there were people in the hall who took responsibility at every stage of this success and that these are days when it is necessary to remember, remind and glorify the value of labor, Görgün congratulated everyone who contributed, from managers to engineers, from technicians to workers.
Pointing out that sometimes a person does not know where his work and efforts will reach over time, Görgün said, "Just because a contribution seems limited at first does not mean that its impact will remain limited over time. An engineer's idea, a technician's labor at the bench, can be the beginning of developments that change the future of a country years later. A person decides, works and takes responsibility with his small will. In this life where the universal will is surrounded by reasons, I believe that a sincere effort can lead to auspicious results that exceed all predictions." made his assessment.
Touching on the results of the decision taken in May 2004, Görgün reminded that at the Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was the Prime Minister at that time, major foreign procurement tenders were canceled and a path based on domestic development and production was chosen.
Emphasizing that it was a great courage to make such a decision by trusting his own engineer at a time when foreign dependency was very high, Görgün said that President Erdoğan made a promise to the nation that day, placed a heavy responsibility on everyone working in this field, and then followed the projects one by one, pioneered the provision of resources and continued his political support.
Görgün stated that that determination combined with the efforts of thousands of people, that projects that took years came to light one by one and started mass production, and that the thousandth engine delivered was one of the concrete results of that will and continuity.
Stating that the value of the steps taken that day is better understood when we look at the current state of the world, Görgün pointed out that conflicts started easily and spread rapidly, and the number of countries taking responsibility for peace was limited, and said:
"Defending justice and peace in such a world also requires having the power to protect it when necessary. As Pascal said, 'Justice without power is powerless, unjust power is cruel.' We work in the defense industry to keep our country safe and to stand behind our promise of justice and peace. We have paid a heavy price in the past for being dependent on others' decisions while doing this. We have not forgotten the embargoes after the Cyprus Peace Operation and the obstacles we faced in our fight against terrorism. Foreign dependency in the defense industry means being at the mercy of others in national security. That's why we emphasize our locality rate. In nearly a quarter of a century, we have reached over 80 percent from 20 percent in terms of localization. We are working to achieve full independence in critical systems and subsystems. "Our goal is a sanction-proof Türkiye whose production does not stop due to someone else's decision, which does not compromise its security."
"WE CAN POWER SOM, ATMACA, ÇAKIR AND KARA ATMACA WITH OUR OWN ENGINES"
Stating that this is exactly why they care about Kale's 1000th engine, Görgün said that in the past, their own engineers developed the missiles, but the engines that would fly them had to be purchased from abroad.
Stating that the issue cannot be solved by paying for the engine, deliveries are delayed, permitting processes are prolonged, embargoes and restrictions affect the production schedule, Görgün reminded that even if the missile is theirs, the continuation of production depends on the engine coming from someone else. Görgün continued his speech as follows:
"The number of engines we ordered and the delivery schedule could give us an idea about our production and inventory plans. When we wanted to export the missile we developed to a friendly country, we could face the restrictions of the country from which we bought the engine. We had to wait for the decision of another country when producing and selling our own weapon. Today, we can power SOM, ATMACA, ÇAKIR and KARA ATMACA with our own engines. Thanks to this capability gained by Kale, we have an important impact on both the continuity of our production and the export of our missiles." "We eliminated an addiction."
COOPERATION OF THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY ECOSYSTEM
Explaining that this point was reached by the team that developed the missile and the team that designed the engine, Görgün stated that the supplier who provided the material, the technician who processed the part, and the teams who carried out the tests came together around the same goal.
Görgün noted that this cooperation established by Kale, ROKETSAN, TÜBİTAK SAGE and suppliers, under the coordination of the Presidency of Defense Industries, was guided by the experience of the Armed Forces in the field.
Expressing that the structure called ecosystem has gained meaning in this way, that everyone will do their own job well, complement each other and produce results together, Görgün emphasized that the lack of even a single part can delay the delivery of the entire system, and that this integrity must be preserved in order to produce the required number of engines at the required time.
Görgün pointed out that today, those competing in the global arena are not just companies, but ecosystems that can produce results together, and stated that as production grows, this entire ecosystem develops. Haluk Görgün continued his words as follows:
"We ensured that a resource of 200 million dollars remained in our country in this project. We clearly see that mass production increases, agile approaches need to find a place in the field very quickly, and as they prove their worth in the field, the economic impacts and contributions to our country will be much greater, together with the use effects of our systems in friendly and allied countries."
Emphasizing that they have put an end to the era of "we can't do it" step by step with the effort put in together under the leadership of President Erdoğan, and that they have left that idea behind with every platform, system and sub-system produced, Görgün stated that Kale is one of the pioneers of this change and responded to those who said "we can't" with 1000 engines.
Stating that they will develop new engines with this knowledge, expand production and ensure that young people continue this success, Görgün noted that they will carry this self-confidence gained by doing their best in competitive market conditions to future projects together.
At the end of his speech, Görgün thanked the Kale Group, his colleagues at the Presidency of Defense Industries, project partners, suppliers and the Armed Forces, and wished that the 1000th engine would be beneficial to the country, the Armed Forces and the Kale family.
4 NEW ENGINE PROJECTS ARE ON THE ROAD
Kale Group Deputy Chairman Osman Okyay, in his speech at the ceremony, stated that their goal is to develop higher quality engines and increase the export of mass produced products.
Stating that they have 4 new projects being carried out simultaneously on the product development side and that they are working hard to complete these projects, Okyay emphasized that the jet engines field has a very special and strategic position in the mechanical sector. Pointing out that the knowledge in this field is limited, Okyay stated that they produce engineering solutions entirely with their own means.
The ceremony ended with gift presentation and photo taking.
