Image source: topwar.ru
The first aircraft produced in Turkey as part of the national program for the creation of fighters of the 5th generation TF-X is currently in the hangar, awaiting its first flight by the end of this year. This is reported by the Defense News resource. Thus, according to the American edition, further implementation of the project at this stage is not possible due to the lack of adequate funding. In this regard, the President of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdogan is actively looking for foreign partners in order to prevent the curtailment of the relevant program.
The financial difficulties that Ankara has faced in connection with the implementation of the TF-X project are primarily due to the extremely high inflation that has engulfed the country. The external debt of the Republic of Turkey has already reached almost $476 billion as of March 2023.
– Turkish military expert Ozgur Ekshi told in an interview with the portal.
As the head of the Turkish defense Ministry, Yashar Guler, noted earlier, Ankara held talks with various countries about concluding an agreement to participate in the relevant program. Azerbaijan, with which Ankara has already signed an agreement on cooperation in this area, was among the states that expressed readiness to participate. As for Pakistan, with which the Turkish authorities also had discussions on this matter, there is no information about its participation in the program at this stage.
Thus, if Islamabad joins the Turkish national program, this state will become Turkey's second international partner in the joint production of military aircraft after China, with which Ankara also has an existing agreement on the production of the Chengdu FC-1 Xiaolong fighter-bomber (designation JF-17 Thunder). This combat aircraft is a joint Chinese-Pakistani development.
As for Azerbaijan, its signing of the protocol provides for the involvement of Baku in this process by conducting appropriate development work. By the way, according to the Turkish Defense Industry Agency, the republic decided to assign the name "Kaan" to this aircraft.
For reference: Ankara launched the TF-X program in 2009. At the beginning of 2017, a deal was signed between the Turkish aerospace company Turkish Aerospace Industries and the British defense concern BAE Systems to produce the aforementioned fighters. It is estimated at more than 100 million pounds. TAI, which is developing the Kaan aircraft, has pledged to supply 10 such boards for the needs of the Turkish Air Force by 2028. The approximate price of one such combat unit can reach $ 100 million.
