Turkey says it ‘KANN’ deliver on air defence

A fifth generation stealth fighter jet developed and produced in Turkey was shown off on Monday, with Ankara delivering on a promise made two years ago when the first indigenous engine was put to the test amid F16 restrictions.

Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday declared his country would become one of five nations producing fifth generation warplanes, saying during a “Century of the Future” program in Ankara that “we took our national combat aircraft out of the hangar and made it to the runway.”

“This was a historic day for Turkish aviation,” Erdogan said.

“As Türkiye gets stronger, we will see together that peace, justice, and equity take root in our region and in the world,” Erdogan added. 

The TF-X fighter, which is domestically made by Turkish Aerospace Industries, rolled out during an event outside the company’s headquarters in Kahramankazan district, north of Ankara.

Erdogan told a crowd that the TF-X twin engine fighter has been nicknamed KAAN, while he also drew attention to the single engine Hurjet, currently only a trainer but destined to become a light attack aircraft capable of close air support missions and air policing.

“We will also deploy Hürjet to our TCG Anadolu Ship. It will be able to partially replace our F-16s by equipping it with our weapons and our radars,” Erdogan said.

KAAN is expected to go through more tests before it can be delivered to Turkish Air Forces, while additional projects have more stages to complete as Turkey continues to strive for less dependence for its army capabilities. 

But the move, which came just ahead of a presidential election in Turkey, is viewed as a promise kept when two years ago Erdogan inaugurated an engine test and design center.

Back in December 2020 Ankara vowed to take steps to boost its defense through domestic products after the US Congress quietly blocked major US arms sales to Turkey for nearly two years in an effort to pressure Ankara to abandon its Russian S-400 missile system.

Greek friend senator Bob Menendez, who serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has since taken credit for blocking US sales and maintenance kits for Turkey’s F16 fleet.

But earlier this month US President Joe Biden's administration was rumored to be moving ahead with the sale of a modernization package for Turkey's existing F-16 aircraft, after leaders of US congressional committees gave informal approval.

Recent reports tracking Ankara’s projects also suggested there were no export contracts on Hurjet, but Erdogan said it was already in production for other countries.

“Hürjet, which we started to produce for friendly and allied countries, has already turned into an international platform. We are soon supplying the first products to Niger and Chad,” the president said.