Vendor vows to hasten Turkey’s fifth-generation ‘Kaan’ fighter plane

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.

伊斯坦布尔——土耳其航空航天工业公司（TUSAŞ）正致力于扩大卡安（Kaan）飞机的飞行测试规模并加快原型机生产。该公司表示，目前的目标是在2028年底前向土耳其空军交付首架飞机。

在 Teknofest 航空航天技术节期间，TUSAŞ 首席执行官 Mustafa Demiroğlu 在接受土耳其公共广播公司 TRT 采访时，介绍了该项目的最新进展。

据 Demiroğlu 称，第二架和第三架原型机的组装工作正在进行中，测试活动计划总共使用四架飞机——三架用于飞行试验，一架用于地面测试。

“第二架原型机将于明年初完成并开始飞行测试，”德米罗格鲁说。“我们已经启动了第一架飞机的加力燃烧室。我们正在等待它的第三次飞行——可能在八月或十月之前。但现在确认还为时过早。”

Kaan原型机和首批小批量生产的飞机将采用通用电气F110加力涡扇喷气发动机。目标是在2032年前用土耳其自主研发的发动机替换该发动机。

Demiroğlu指出，第二架原型机将根据第一架飞机的经验教训进行设计修改，包括外部造型和内部结构改进。

“第二款原型机的外观会略有不同——尤其是在进气口周围——但整体尺寸保持不变，”德米罗格鲁解释说。“在内部结构方面，我们进行了重量和平衡方面的优化。”

Kaan项目最初代号为TF-X，是土耳其迄今为止最雄心勃勃的航空航天项目。该项目旨在取代土耳其空军老旧的F-4E“鬼怪”战斗机，并最终取代F-16战斗机，其性能和生存能力力求与其他第五代战机平台相媲美。

该战斗机的关键特点包括低雷达横截面外形、内置武器舱、超音速巡航能力以及国产航空电子设备套件。

该飞机的首架原型机于 2024 年 2 月完成了首飞。目前，Kaan 是欧洲唯一拥有飞行原型机并被冠以“第五代”称号的战斗机项目。

德米罗格鲁强调，卡安最终将大规模生产，以满足土耳其空军的作战需求。

“我们的目标是在2028年底开始交付，”他说。“Kaan是一个国家项目，我们正与土耳其工程师和技术人员共同开发，以保障我们国家未来的安全和独立。”

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。