Turkey's KAAN fighter jet, first national combat aircraft, conducts inaugural flight

Turkey on Wednesday celebrated the inaugural flight of KAAN, its first indigenous combat aircraft, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s air force modernisation endeavor.

Turkey, a member of NATO, initiated the TF-X project back in 2016 with the aim of manufacturing its own combat aircraft. In 2017, Turkish aerospace company TUSAS inked a $125 million agreement with Britain’s BAE Systems to advance the development of the next-generation fighter jet.

A video released by TUSAS depicted the awe-inspiring moment when a KAAN fighter jet gracefully ascended into the skies before returning to an air base located in northern Ankara.

The new fighter jet will initially be powered by two General Electric F-110 engines, which are also used on fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 jets.

Turkey aims to use domestically produced engines on KAAN in serial production, Gorgun has said, with that expected to start in 2028.

Turkey recently secured a deal to procure 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernisation kits for its existing F-16s from the United States, after a long-delayed process.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on NATO member Turkey’s defence industry in December 2020 over its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system and expelled Ankara from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, where it was a manufacturer and buyer.

Ankara is also interested in buying 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

With inputs from agencies