“The serial production of KAAN was planned with domestic engines, not foreign ones. Development activities for the main engine TF35000 and the auxiliary power unit APU60 for the KAAN fighter jet are progressing successfully.
This is how the process always works in the defense industry. It starts with existing engines, and then national engine projects are initiated.We are producing KAAN using a block approach. This means we are gradually developing it by introducing versions with different capabilities at various stages into the inventory.
In this context, there is no delay in the delivery schedule of our KAAN fighter jet. To avoid risking our serial production, we are not relying on a single source; we are working with different supply channels and evaluating alternatives simultaneously. This way, we both secure the timeline and advance our roadmap for developing national engines without interruption.
The future of KAAN is in no way dependent on the engines of a single country. We trust our engineers. The serial production process for TF35000 is proceeding as planned.All necessary engines for the KAAN prototype aircraft have been procured and delivered to Türkiye. The production of our prototype aircraft is continuing at full speed.
The official application process to the United States for the engine supply required for the first block of a certain number of KAAN serial aircraft to be delivered to our Air Force Command has been completed.
The development activities for our domestic engine, which is needed for our KAAN aircraft to achieve sixth-generation advanced capabilities, are continuing according to the planned schedule. At this stage, we are not pursuing any foreign alternative options.
If necessary, it is possible to change the engine for the first block. While this may lead to some engineering development needs, aircraft design and development activities, as is the case worldwide, inherently involve continuous iteration and change management. In such a case, I do not believe we will face a significant scheduling disadvantage. This is because we manage our projects with an Agile Systems Engineering approach. However, as I mentioned, our final serial production aircraft will fly with domestic engines.“There was a delay, but significant progress has been made in 2 years” There was indeed a delay, and this was the first issue I addressed. Now, responsibilities and timelines are clear. All companies involved are fulfilling their duties on time, and the SSB Engine Department is closely monitoring the process. Significant progress has been made over the past 2 years.
Considering that the TF6000 turbofan engine developed for ANKA-III was successfully started for the first time, development work for TF10000 for KIZILELMA is ongoing, and the development activities for the main engine TF35000 and the auxiliary power unit APU60 for the KAAN fighter jet are progressing as planned, it is clear that considerable progress has been made in the engine field, and we can look to the future with confidence.
The 48 fifth-generation KAAN fighter jets planned for export to Indonesia will be powered by our national engines, not US-origin engines.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that we trust our engineers in this sacred cause. With the leadership and support of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we are working with all our strength to bring KAAN and its domestic engine to our country using local and national capabilities.”
- Defense Industry (SSB) President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün
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- Turkey maybe learns again the hard way that it is not that easy to develop a working high-end turbofan engine and while being reliant to an interim engine, it should be wise to keep calm, since otherwise such - IMO - overambitious plans to have the own powerplant ready by 2030 may fall apart very quickly!
