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Türkiye's indigenous KAAN fighter jet has attracted significant international interest, with three countries currently in line for the national combat aircraft, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) General Manager Mehmet Demiroglu announced.
The KAAN fighter jet's international interest includes high-level engagement from Saudi Arabia and positive developments with Indonesia, according to Demiroglu's latest assessment of the project's global reception.
"Saudi Arabia has been interested for a long time; their interest is at the highest level right now. The Indonesian side is also going well," Demiroglu stated during his evaluation of international interest in the KAAN project.
The KAAN fighter jet development continues according to planned timelines, with second and third prototypes currently being prepared for flight testing.
Demiroglu outlined the production and testing schedule, stating, "At the end of 2025, beginning of 2026, our second prototype, and a few months after that, our third prototype will hopefully take to the skies. Therefore, within 2025, we have plans to fly at least two KAANs together, and in our plan, three KAANs."
The executive confirmed that following test completion, three additional aircraft will be produced, with delivery to the Turkish Air Force planned in blocks by the end of 2028 and beginning of 2029.
International attention for the KAAN fighter jet has grown substantially, with multiple countries expressing interest in the Turkish-developed combat aircraft.
"Worldwide interest in KAAN is great; in fact, some countries' interest has increased significantly," Demiroglu noted, highlighting the growing global recognition of Türkiye's indigenous defense capabilities.
The project represents a significant milestone in Türkiye's defense industry development, positioning the country as a potential major player in the international fighter aircraft market.
TAI has achieved a major breakthrough with its indigenous PD170 engine, successfully reaching 40,000 feet altitude in the Aksungur unmanned aerial vehicle.
"We reached 40,000 feet with our indigenous engine PD170 produced by our TEI. For a diesel engine to reach 40,000 feet is a very important success. For such a platform to reach 40,000 feet with a diesel engine is another success," Demiroglu explained.
The Aksungur drone, built on a similar platform to the Anka but with greater payload capacity, can remain airborne for 52 hours and has an operational range of approximately 3,000 kilometers (1864.1 miles).
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