When the Helicopter Capture and Transfer System (HYTS) obtained from Canada faced an embargo, Turkey took action. Under the coordination of the Presidency of Defense Industries, the contract for the "Helicopter Capture and Transfer System (HYTS) Procurement" project was signed between STM (Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc.) and Altınay Defense Technologies Inc. in May 2021. Subsequently, technical work and design activities began.
The system's production started in March 2022, and it was first operated in September. The fully functional first demonstration of the system took place in November, and factory acceptances were completed in December. During the product development process, support was received from the Naval Forces Command and the Naval Shipyards General Directorate of the Ministry of National Defense.
President of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir announced the development on social media with the following statement:
"We are overcoming the embargoes one by one! The Helicopter Capture and Transfer System, which faced an embargo when procured from abroad, has now been developed using domestic capabilities. The system enables helicopters to safely land on the ship, be secured, and pulled into the hangar. It will be commissioned with the national frigate ISTANBUL this year and will also be included in the inventory of new ships, increasing the localization rate of national vessels and becoming one of the export items of the defense industry. Congratulations to all those involved."
The system will be first integrated into the lead ship of the I-class frigates, Istanbul. After the ship integration, HYTS will undergo harbor acceptance tests and sea acceptance tests with helicopters in accordance with the ship program. The Helicopter Capture and Transfer System will enable helicopters to safely land, secure, and be pulled into the hangar even under challenging conditions such as sea state 4.
The system utilizes optical scanning and detection sub-components to calculate the helicopter's position in real-time using image processing technology, and the helicopter is captured using the capture tool on the platform.
All these operations are carried out automatically without the presence of personnel on the platform day and night, under different weather conditions.
The system consists of the following subsystems:
- Operator Console
- Drive System
- Pilot Guidance Lights
- Laser Imaging Unit
- Real-Time Location Tracking (15mm Accuracy)