On February 21, 2024, the first prototype of the promising Turkish Kaan fighter (TF-X program) made its first flight at the airfield of the Turkish state aircraft building association Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI, TUSAŞ) and the Turkish Air Force Murted air base in Ankara.
The first prototype of the promising Turkish Kaan fighter (TF-X program) in its first flight. Muirted (Ankara), 02/21/2024 (c) Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)
The program for the creation of the TF-X national fighter (Turkish designation of the Milli Muharip Uçak - MMU program), which received the official name Kaan ("Khan") in 2023, has been implemented in Turkey since 2010. The contract for the full-scale development of the TF-X was signed by the Turkish Defense Industry Administration (SSM, now SSB) with the TAI association in August 2016. In January 2017, TAI signed a cooperation agreement on the creation of TF-X with the British corporation BAE Systems. In May 2017, the British Rolls-Royce Group established a joint venture TAES with the Turkish Kale group to develop and manufacture engines for the TF-X aircraft. In 2022, the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate (SSB) confirmed that the "national" engine for the TF-X will be created jointly with Rolls-Royce, although prototypes and the first series of the fighter will be equipped with American General Electric F110-GE-129 engines. It is known that the TAI-controlled Turkish aircraft engine company Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) has signed a contract with General Electric for the purchase of 10 F110-GE-129 engines to equip TF-X prototypes.
Currently, it is planned to build four Kaan - head prototypes for the first stage of design development (it was officially presented on March 18, 2023 and made its first flight on February 21, 2024) and three so-called Block 0, which should begin flight tests before 2026. After that, it is planned to begin preparations for the mass production of the first serial configuration of Block 1. In May 2023, TAI CEO Temel Kotil very optimistically stated that the company plans to deliver 20 Block 1 aircraft to the Turkish Air Force by 2028, and then switch to a production rate of two aircraft per month from 2029. However, according to the presentation of the Turkish Air Force from 2021, they plan to receive 10 pre-production Block 1 aircraft only from 2030 to 2034 and only from 2034 to switch to serial purchases.
In 2022, plans were announced to create a two-seat version of the TF-X, but in January 2023, TAI announced the abandonment of the two-seat version.
Kaan is a very large twin-engine single-seat aircraft made using low-visibility technology. Its stated maximum take-off weight exceeds 27 tons, which is probably an understated figure. The length of the aircraft is 21 m, the wingspan is 14 m and the height is 6 m - thus, geometrically Kaan is slightly larger than the American Lockheed Martin F-22A (length 18.92 m, wingspan 13.56 m and height 5.08 m) and the Russian Su-57 (length 20.1 m, wingspan 14.1 m and height 4.6 m).
The electronic equipment of the Kaan fighter should be mainly of Turkish design and include the on-board BÜRFIS radar with Aselsan AFAR, the KARAT and TOYGUN electron-optical systems, the Yıldırım-300 on-board defense complex, and a helmet-mounted target designation system. Weapons should be placed in internal compartments.
The first prototype of the promising Turkish Kaan fighter (TF-X program) in its first flight. Murted (Ankara), 02/21/2024 (c) Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI)
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