ISTANBUL — Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) is working to expand flight testing and accelerate prototype production of the Kaan aircraft. The company says it now aims to deliver the first aircraft to the Turkish Air Force by the end of 2028.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Teknofest aerospace and technology festival in an interview with Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT, TUSAŞ CEO Mustafa Demiroğlu provided an update on the project’s progress.
According to Demiroğlu, assembly of the second and third prototypes is underway, with four aircraft planned in total for the test campaign – three to be used for flight trials and one for ground testing.
“The second prototype will be completed early next year and begin flight testing,” Demiroğlu said. “We’ve now ignited the afterburner on the first aircraft. We are awaiting its third flight – perhaps in August or before October. But it’s still too early to confirm.”
The prototypes of Kaan and the first batch of low initial production will be powered by a General Electric F110, an afterburning turbofan jet engine. The aim is to replace this engine with a Turkish one by 2032.
Demiroğlu noted that the second prototype will incorporate design revisions based on lessons learned from the first aircraft, including external shaping and internal structural improvements.
“The second prototype will look slightly different from the outside – particularly around the air inlets – but the overall size remains the same,” Demiroğlu explained. “Internally, we’ve made weight and balance optimizations.”
Known initially as TF-X, the Kaan program is Turkey’s most ambitious aerospace project. Designed to replace the Turkish Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4E Phantoms and eventually its F-16s, Kaan is intended to match the performance and survivability of other fifth-generation platforms.
Key features of the fighter plane include low radar cross-section shaping, internal weapons bays, supercruise capability, and a domestically developed avionics suite.
The aircraft’s first prototype completed its maiden flight in February 2024. Currently, Kaan is the only fighter project in Europe boasting a fifth-generation label with a flying prototype.
Demiroğlu emphasized that the Kaan will eventually be produced at scale to meet the operational needs of the Turkish Air Force.
“We aim to begin deliveries by the end of 2028,” he said. “Kaan is a national project that we are developing with Turkish engineers and technicians, for the future security and independence of our country.”
Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.
Read the full article here
