Turkish indigenous-design fighter takes to the skies

On February 21, Turkish defense officials celebrated the first flight of the nation’s KAAN fighter jet, an indigenous fifth-generation fighter still under development. Though NATO watchers and defense industry observers have likely heard more about joint French, German, and Spanish efforts to develop a sixth-generation European fighter, which have been hampered by disagreements, the Turkish progress seems to have largely flown under the radar. Given Turkey’s strained ties with the US and tendency to pursue goals that do not fit neatly into shared NATO priorities, the nation’s progress on the KAAN fighter should receive greater attention.

Turkey’s 2019 purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems and subsequent ejection from the US’s F-35 program produced an even greater incentive to pursue an indigenous fighter jet system capable of meeting the Turkish military’s unique needs. US approval of Greek plans to purchase F-35 jets likely contributed to a Turkish desire to get the KAAN off the ground in the near future, as the pair continue to clash over Aegean Sea-centered disputes. Though long-running Turkish efforts to acquire more F-16 jets and F-16 modernization kits from the US (made conditional by the latter on Turkey’s support for Swedish NATO accession) recently met success, Turkey clearly has reason to continue pursuing the KAAN route.

Though the KAAN’s first flight in late February is notable as it marks the first flight of a locally-made combat aircraft, the prototype only reached a height of around 8,000 feet, kept its landing gear lowered, and lacked several critical “mission systems.” In short, the February flight was made by an early prototype that likely requires several more years of testing and development before delivery to the Turkish military, which is expected to be possible in the early 2030s. Once operational, though, the jet should fulfill the requirements of a modern multi-role fighter, and its design, including internal weapons bays, is reminiscent of the leading US F-22 stealth fighter.

Despite per-unit costs that likely exceed that of F-35 purchases, the KAAN is expected to carry a mix of NATO-standard and indigenous armaments and, as Popular Mechanicsnotes, may be more capable of integration into Turkey’s “growing ecosystem of indigenous weapons, sensors, drones, and battle management networks.” Of particular interest is the jet’s promised ability to interface with and direct Turkish-made Anka-3 armed drones. Though the jet promises to be a domestically-produced alternative to the US F-35 that remains frustrating out of reach for Turkish President Erdogan, Popular Mechanics highlights another potential US-linked roadblock: the jet’s F-110 engines. Though Turkey already possesses a handful of these powerful engines, US approval is needed to assemble by license enough to enable KAAN production. However, Turkey, likely as “insurance” in case General Electric refuses to supply more F-110 engines, is pursuing an indigenous counterpart for the KAAN’s propulsion system. With the engine question remaining for the time being, the future of the KAAN project will be worth watching for those interested in intra-NATO relations and aerospace developments. The outcome of Turkey’s attempt to produce an indigenous counterpart to the F-35 will be an indicator of the nation’s capability to domestically design, produce, and bring to bear advanced weapons systems.

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