Newsletters
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) aims to produce more than 1,500 aircraft, helicopters and large drones, plus over 10,000 tactical drones, by 2035, General Manager Mehmet Demiroglu announced, as he signaled a KAAN fighter prototype could fly as early as this month.
The targets, presented at a defense and aerospace subcontractor workshop, include more than 150 KAAN fifth-generation fighters, 200 Hurjet jet trainers and 150 Hurkus turboprop aircraft.
The goals mark a shift from prototypes to mass production for Türkiye's flagship aerospace programs, backed by a plan to hand most manufacturing to subcontractors as export orders such as Spain's Hurjet deal grow.
Helicopter targets include more than 200 Gokbey utility helicopters, 150 T925 heavy utility helicopters and 100 T129 ATAK attack helicopters. Drone targets include more than 250 Anka-3 unmanned combat aircraft, 150 Aksungur and 150 Anka drones, plus over 10,000 tactical drones.
TAI also targets more than 20 satellites and over 30 new products or configurations.
Together, the figures exceed 500 fixed-wing aircraft, 450 helicopters and 550 larger drones, matching Demiroglu’s earlier goal of 1,500 platforms over the next decade. The figures are production objectives, not confirmed orders.
TAI plans to keep final assembly in-house while handing about 70% of manufacturing to subcontractors. It has outsourced nearly 60% of detailed parts manufacturing, aiming for 70% to 80%, and about 40% of component-level work, aiming for 70%.
Kayseri-based TOMTAS will manufacture about 7,000 detailed parts and assemble five major Hurjet structural components, with first deliveries to TAI planned for December 2026.
"KAAN is, I can say, the most indigenous project we are doing in aviation in Türkiye right now," Demiroglu told students at Kastamonu University on October 12, noting, "When we go inside, we’re talking about millions of lines of software. Not only TAI, TUBITAK makes the plane's computers. TUBITAK makes the flight control computers. Previously we couldn’t touch these."
"We’re doing very well. Allah willing, let me not give a date, let me say this year, even within this month, teams are working at full capacity to fly it. We are still holding to 2028 for delivery," he said.
"We don’t want to use KAAN. ‘Then why are you making it?’ they ask. We are making it so as not to use it," Demiroglu said at a separate event in Kastamonu. "If necessary, we will use it. Our north, south, east, west, everywhere is a ring of fire. We stand as an island of peace."
"Before we even started our deliveries to the Air Force, Spain said, ‘I liked it, I want to buy 30,’ and bought. We signed. We are working for deliveries in 2028. It is planning to buy 15 more," Demiroglu said of Hurjet.
Spain’s Hurjet-based pilot training program is worth about €2.6 billion ($2.9 billion).
On Hurkus, he said: "Now we have started deliveries. This year, next year, the year after. We are sending to Azerbaijan. Then we will sell elsewhere."
"In the 2020s, especially with successes in the defense industry, tremendous admiration for Türkiye formed in the world," Demiroglu said, noting TAI has 16,500 employees.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
