KAAN jet program advancing on schedule, defense official says amid engine debate

ANKARA

Efforts on Türkiye’s domestic fighter jet KAAN are proceeding on schedule without delays, says Haluk Görgün, head of the Turkish Defense Industries Secretariat.

“The development activities for the KAAN’s main engine, the TF35000, and the auxiliary power unit, the APU60, are progressing successfully,” Görgün told the media.

KAAN, Türkiye’s first homegrown combat aircraft, carried out its maiden flight in February last year. However, serial production is not expected to commence before 2028.

The Defense Ministry has described KAAN as a fifth-generation aircraft, noting it will initially be powered by two U.S.-made General Electric F110 engines — the same model used in fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week that the engines destined for KAAN were still awaiting approval from the U.S. Congress, a statement that stirred public debate.

“At present, the F-35s we are expecting and KAAN’s engines are being held up in the U.S. Congress, with their export licenses frozen. Those licenses must be activated and the engines delivered so that KAAN’s production can move forward,” Fidan said.

Görgün, however, underlined that the program is facing no setbacks and is advancing in line with its official roadmap.

“In the defense industry, this is the natural course of development. You begin with available engines, then phase in national engine projects. We are producing KAAN according to a block approach,” he explained.

He added that Türkiye was not relying on a single supplier to avoid jeopardizing serial production. “We are working with multiple procurement channels and evaluating alternatives simultaneously.”