Turkey Signs Contract for First 20 KAAN Fighter Jets

The Turkish air force signed a contract to procure 20 Block 10 KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets from Turkish Aerospace at the SAHA defense expo in Istanbul on Wednesday. The new contract was signed between Turkish Aerospace and Turkey’s Defense Industries Secretariat, according to Anadolu Agency.

Turkish Aerospace CEO Mehmet Demiroglu told Breaking Defense that the initial sale was made for the first batch of 20 Block 10 aircraft.

"This is the first order. Over time, we expect the numbers to increase," he said. The national deal follows Indonesia's contract for 48 KAAN fighters last June. A KAAN prototype first flew in February 2024, with the second flight occurring successfully in Ankara, Turkiye, on May 06, 2024.

Haluk Gorgun, chief of Turkey’s Defense Industries Secretariat, spoke after the signing. "We are proud to develop the products listed here locally and nationally, and to deliver them to our heroic security forces," he said. Gorgun referred to the KAAN along with a number of other domestically developed defense products displayed at the expo.

Turkish Aerospace is courting a potential export deal with Saudi Arabia for the KAAN. Current KAAN prototypes and test articles are powered by GE F110 engines. Turkish Aerospace hopes to use Turkish-made TF35000 Turbofan engines produced by TEI by 2032.

The TF35000 engine is still in the design phase. Prototype production of the TF35000 engine is expected to start in 2027. At SAHA, TEI displayed its concept of the TF35000 engine. Turkish Aerospace inked an agreement with General Electric to procure GE Aerospace F404 engines to power its Hurjet trainer and light attack aircraft.

The company displayed a model of its ANKA 3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle, its Gokbey helicopter and models of other aircraft at SAHA. Work on the manned-unmanned teaming concept is ongoing. Mehmet Demiroglu stated that for KAAN, testing has not started yet.

For HÜRJET, only the initial tests have begun, and the company will gradually intensify these tests over time. Breaking Defense reported that Turkish defense firms appeared to address production concerns at the expo by displaying components and insights into manufacturing processes.

The KAAN program was initiated by the Turkish Defence Industries Presidency to meet the combat aircraft requirement of the Turkish Air Forces Command.