Turkish fighter jet KAAN's maiden flight makes headlines worldwide

By Nuri Aydın

The 13-minute maiden test flight of Türkiye's first homegrown fifth-generation fighter jet KAAN on Wednesday has made a splash among the worldwide media outlets.

The US-based Business Insider website said the successfully completion of the maiden flight was "a major step forward for Turkey's efforts to acquire a fifth-generation fighter".

Business Insider stressed that KAAN was the result of over a decade of effort from the Turkish Air Force and the country aims KAAN to "eventually replace" the country's F-16 fleet.

It underlined that Wednesday's flight was a "a promising step forward" for Türkiye, especially after the tension with the US over the F-35 fighter jet project.

Bloomberg television highlighted that Türkiye's 5th generation fighter jet's first ever flight was a "milestone".

-the UK

Reuters announced the move with saying "Türkiye's KAAN, its first national combat aircraft, completed its first flight on Wednesday, part of the country's efforts to upgrade its air force."

Citing to Haluk Gorgun, the head of Türkiye's Defense Industries Presidency, Reuters noted that Türkiye aims to use domestically produced engines on KAAN in serial production.

London based newspaper Al Arab reported the development with the headline Türkiye broke new ground in the production of 5th generation combat aircraft.

Saudi Arabia's Asharq Bloomberg television website also presented KAAN's first flight to its readers with the title "The greatest king. What do we know about Türkiye's 5th generation stealth plane?"

Qatar-based Al Jazeera television also announced KAAN's first flight to its audience with the statements of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

-Canada

BNN Bloomberg television broadcasting in Canada stated that KAAN was the symbol of the self-confidence and innovation of the Turkish defense industry.

A new dawn was born in the history of Turkish defense and aviation, it said, adding the move represents a significant leap in Türkiye's quest for self-reliance in military technology and a bold step towards the future of war.

- Japan

The Japanese media showed praise for the first flight of 'KAAN,' as Turkish defense officials hope to export the fifth-generation fighter jet to Asua and Gulf countries, according to the country’s biggest business newspaper named Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei).

The paper also reported that TAI aims develop 'KAAN' to include low visibility capability by 2030, with the company also planning to manufacture 20 units of it.

Türkiye became the fifth country in the world to fly stealth fighter jets, following the US, Russia, China, and South Korea, as stated by Yahoo Japan.

The Norimono News website reported on the first flight by “KAAN” to be successfully completed.

The website provided a definition for the name of the aircraft, saying that 'KAAN' is “a masculine name of Turkish origin meaning ruler or king of kings”.

There are only five countries in the world that can develop and produce fifth-generation fighter jets, and Türkiye is now one of them, it added.

The Turkish firm developed the ‘KAAN’ fighter jet, which is difficult to spot on radars as it has stealth capabilities, according to the news from Abema Times.

The story mentioned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s quote, which says, “Today was another proud day for Türkiye’s defense industry.”

The KAAN fighter jet is one of the world’s best among the fifth-generation fighter jets, along with the “F35” and the “Sukhoi 57,” it added, emphasizing that Türkiye is expected to improve its already developed defense capabilities in the future.

- China

The People’s Daily and the Xinhua News Agency ran a story on KAAN, quoting President Erdogan’s statement, which says, “Türkiye has crossed another critical threshold in the production of fifth-generation fighter jets.”

The story mentioned that the aircraft was designed in line with the requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, and laid out the technical specifications of KAAN saying that it could replace the F-16 aircraft in the inventory.

- India

The NDTV mentioned the indigenous aircraft with a story titled “Türkiye’s KAAN, its first national combat aircraft, completed its first flight on Wednesday, part of the country's efforts to upgrade its air force.”

“The flight marks a landmark moment for Türkiye, where authorities have made modernizing the country's aging air force a top priority,” said the Times of India.

“The project places Türkiye in a small group of powers working on fifth-generation aircraft, which means KAAN wil eventually have stealth capablities,advanced avionics and will be able to undertake command roles in battle,” it added.

- Pakistan

Samaa TV ran a story titled “Türkiye’s first indigenous fighter jet KAAN takes maiden flight,” mentioning the successful flight and the many features of the fifth-generation fighter jet in detail.

- Russia

TASS news agency showcased 'KAAN' with its first successful flight, as well as the Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which mentioned that the aircraft was started to be produced in 2017.

Ria Novosti news agency also announced the first flight of 'KAAN.'

- Libya

The Ayn Libya newspaper said the domestic fighter jet “KAAN” has soared the skies of the Turkish capital of Ankara, with a successful first flight.

The article included the statements made by Haluk Gorgun, president of the Defense Industry Agency, about the fighter jet, and provided further information about Türkiye’s efforts to produce a domestic fighter jet since 2016.

The Nabz newspaper quoted the statement made by Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, which says that “Türkiye will be among the five countries in the world to produce a fifth-generation aircraft,” coupled with technical specifications on the aircraft.

- Azerbaijan

The country’s state news agency Azertac published an article saying, “Türkiye's fifth-generation national combat aircraft, KAAN, successfully completed its maiden flight in the early hours on Wednesday.”

- Georgia

The national state television Georgian Public Broadcaster (1TV.GE) announced that Türkiye’s fifth-generation fighter jet “KAAN” has made its first flight.

The story laid out the vehicle’s technical specifications, ranging from its capacity to work with various platforms, to conducting precision strikes at supersonic speeds, all attributed to its artificial intelligence system.

Thus, Türkiye became one of the countries which can manufacture fifth-generation fighter jets, the story read.

“The first flight of the Turkish KAAN prototype was successfully completed,” said Forbes Georgia, adding that the fighter jet will allow Türkiye’s defense capabilities to be stronger and enhance the importance of the Turkish Air Force, as a domestically produced high-tech fighter jet will enter its inventory