What you need to know: Turkey is developing its own fifth-generation stealth fighter, the TAI Kaan (also known as the TF or MMU), with the aim of rivaling advanced aircraft such as the F-35.

-Kaan made its maiden flight in February 2024 and is intended to replace Turkey’s F-16 fleet. Powered by two General Electric F110-GE129 engines, it boasts advanced stealth features, a top speed of Mach 1.8 and multi-role capabilities including air superiority and ground attack. Despite successful test flights, comparisons with established fighters such as the F-35 invite skepticism.

Problems: The recent terrorist attacks at TAI’s headquarters in Ankara have raised concerns about possible delays in Kaan’s development.

When we think of countries producing fifth-generation stealth fighters, chances are we think of the Big Three (to use an American car manufacturing analogy): the United States, for example, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II; Russia, for example Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”) and Su-75 “Chess“; and China, for example, Chengdu J-20 Weilong (“Mighty Dragon”; NATO reporting name “Fagin”).

What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is that there is a fourth country that produces a stealth fighter, a country that is apparently a NATO member nation and the US ally, but received terribly comfortable with Russia (and to a lesser extent, China) lately: Turkey. Say “Merhaba (Hello)” to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI; Turkish acronym TUSAS) Kaan (“Leader” or “Leader”), AKA the TF (“Turkish Fighter”) and MMU (Milli Muharip Ucak; “National Struggle “) aircraft”).

TAI Kaan’s original history and specifications

The TAI Kaan made its maiden flight on February 21, 2024. Before that, the prototype performed taxi and ground tests on March 16, 2023, followed by a ceremonial unveiling two days later. The Kaan is intended to replace the American-made Turkish Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon (AKA “Viper”) and is also intended for Foreign Military Sales (FMS).

A major driving force behind Turkey’s decision to pursue a stealth fighter of local origin was the recent decline in Turkey-US relationsespecially Washington’s refusal to sell Patriot missile batteries to Ankara and removing the Turks from the F-35 FMS customer list in 2019.

Looks like Kaan has the following preliminaries specs and vital stats:

Fuselage length: 68 ft 11 in (21 m)

Wingspan: 45 ft 11 in (14 m)

Height: 19 ft 8 in (6 m)

Maximum take-off weight: 60,000 lb (27,215 kg) take-off, 51,320 lb (23,280 kg) combat weight

Power plant: 2 x General Electric F110-GE129 engines with 58,000 lb (26,308 kg) of thrust (NOTE: This is the same engine that powers F-15EX Eagle II)

Top speed: Mach 1.8 (1,381 mph; 2,222 km/h)

Service ceiling: 55,000 ft (16,764 m)

g-Limits: +9.0 and -3.5

My colleague Brandon J. Weichert adds in a July 1, 2024, article for The National Interest:

“TF Kaan from Turkey he boasted advanced cloaking capabilities, making detection by radar, infrared and other sensors difficult. It is equipped with advanced avionics, including a fly-by-wire system, electronic scanning active radar and an electronic warfare (EW) suite… This warbird can carry a variety of weapons, including air-to-air weapons, air -air. ground-based missiles and guided bombs. It is also equipped with a 20mm cannon for close air support missions. “

The aircraft is designed to be multi-role (air superiority, ground attack and reconnaissance missions alike).

Operational performance

The maiden flight of the aforementioned MMU was a fairly modest performance, lasting only thirteen minutes, with the aircraft reaching an altitude of 8,000 ft (2,438.4 m) and a speed of 230 kts (254 mph; 425.9 km/h). A second test flight was conducted last May, after which the manufacturer’s in-house test pilot took the prototype to 10,000 feet (3,048 m) for more than fourteen minutes.

This second mission prompted a rather bold claim from TUSAS CEO Temel Kotil (as quoted by Joe Saballa of Defense post):

“This plane is better than the F-35 … The F-35 carries six tons, (KAAN) carries 10 tons of ammunition … Having two engines means more power and radars that illuminate a greater distance.”

Kotil’s comments should, of course, be taken with a grain of salt, as the Kaan is still in the prototype phase and not expected to become operational until sometime in the 2030s, while the F-35 has been in production since 2006 and has been in truth was already battle proven (thanks to the Israeli Air Force). Meanwhile, one of the delicious ironies of that second Kaan test fight is that a Turkish Air Force F-16 acted as a backup/follow-up plane!

The way forward

As I write these words, by a strange coincidence, I have just received the news that the TAI headquarters in Ankara’s Kahramankazan district has been subjected to a terrorist attackwith reports of an explosion followed by gunfire. Details are still sketchy at this point, but there have been an unspecified number of dead, with Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya saying on X (formerly Twitter) that “Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people,” meanwhile, state-run Anadolu of Turkey. the news agency said the nation’s security forces were in the process of neutralizing the “terrorists”.

Aside from the human tragedy of the lives lost in this attack, it remains to be seen how this attack on TAI/TUSAS headquarters will impact the development and production schedule of not only Kaan, but the company as well. Anka-3 UCAV (no relation to Canadian-American singer Paul Anka).

Meanwhile, to quote Weichert again:

“As for reactions from outsiders, well, they’ve been mixed so far. While some countries have expressed interest in purchasing the aircraft, others such as Greece and Cyprus, have expressed concerns about the potential impact on regional security. This is not surprising given the aforementioned tensions between those parties. Indeed, it risks completely collapsing NATO’s vaunted southern defense perimeter, as Athens and Ankara squabble over everything from territorial rights to whose culture is superior… Thus, the TF KAAN-F-35 debate rages in this ugly context… Turkey broke with the European Union. states. Creating an indigenous fifth-generation warbird to rival the F-35 is just the inevitable, ultimate end of that change.”

About the author:

Christian D. Orr is a senior defense editor for National Security Journal (NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Officer, federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an MA in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from the American Military University (AMU). It was also published in The daily torch, Journal of Information and Cyber ​​Securityand Simple flight. Last but not least, he is a companion of the Order Naval Order of the United States (NOUS).

Image credit: Creative Commons.