Türkiye's KAAN stealth fighter jet dominates global headlines with maiden test flight

By Alperen Aktas

ANKARA (AA) - Following the successful maiden test flight of Türkiye's homegrown fighter jet KAAN on Feb. 21, praise for Türkiye's defense industry is dominating global headlines.

Spain-based Defensa.com said that KAAN is a "very ambitious project of the Turkish industry."

The report, which details the production stages and future projects of KAAN, states: "The ultimate goal is for the aircraft to make Turkey one of the few countries with the infrastructure and technology necessary to produce a 5th generation fighter aircraft."

Argentina-based Aviacionline.com ran the headline, "KAAN, Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter, made its maiden flight."

Turkish Aerospace Industries expects its jet to attract a great deal of interest internationally, it said.

It will be free from US ITAR regulations, regarding the export of defense products, the report read.

"In fact, Pakistan has already shown great interest in KAAN and aspires to become a partner in the project," it said.

- Comparison with F-22 Raptor

The UK-based aviation magazine Husk-Kit ran a headline: "Turkey’s new Kaan stealth fighter aircraft versus the F-22 Raptor."

It reported: "(The) growing industrial base had positioned Turkiye to contribute significantly to the US F-35 program, with the expectation that this would become a key component of Turkiye’s air combat capability.

"However, the separate decision by Turkiye to procure the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile for its Ground-based Air Defence system, has resulted in Turkiye being barred from the F-35 program.

"This, in turn, has spurred the development of the Turkish TFX fighter program, which has moved from initiation in 2018 to first flight of the TAI KAAN prototype in 2024," it said.

Stressing that it is "too early" to judge the Turkish fighter jet in its maximum capacity, the aviation magazine underlined: "... There seems no reason why Turkiye would not incorporate the necessary coatings, treatments and devices that are present on the F-22 and F-35."

The Netherland-based De Volkskrant ran the headline: "Turkey demonstrates its dominance in the sky once again with KAAN."

The report underlined Türkiye's emergence as a significant player in the arms market, noting that the Turkish defense industry is "working on its ambitious project of developing its own fighter aircraft following the successful Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle."

"With Kaan, Turkey is taking the next step in its development as an arms exporter," it said.

"In recent years, Turkish drones have made a big impression on the arms market. A number of countries have purchased the unmanned attack weapon. In particular, the Bayraktar drone from manufacturer Baykar has played a decisive role in various conflicts, such as the civil war in Libya and the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Ukraine also uses the Bayraktar," it added.

- Self-sufficient defense industry

The Netherlands-based De Telegraaf newspaper highlighted that Türkiye's indigenous fighter jet production aligns with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's goals of having an independent defense industry. Among KAAN's prominent features mentioned in the news are its high maneuverability and the capability to carry weapons in its fuselage.

It was stated that KAAN, classified as a medium-weight fighter aircraft, has a length of 21 meters and a wingspan of 14 meters.

Defense Blog covered KAAN's first flight with the headline "Turkish fighter jet KAAN makes its first flight."

The magazine said: "Developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the KAAN represents Türkiye’s most ambitious technological endeavor, aimed at bolstering the country’s defense capabilities and enhancing its strategic position on the global stage."

The aviation magazine "defencesecurityasia.com" stressed that KAAN ensures that Türkiye "joins an exclusive group of nations capable of independently developing a fifth-generation fighter aircraft."

"'KAAN joins the ranks of other fifth-generation aircraft currently on the market, such as the American-made F-22 'Raptor,' F-35, China’s J-20 'Mighty Dragon' and J-31, and Russia’s Su-57 'Felon,'" it added.

- Triumph over US

The Germany-based Die Welt said KAAN "took an unusually short time, but the Kaan fighter jet successfully completed its first flight."

"For Turkish President Erdogan, this means a triumph over the USA. Ankara is increasingly striving for self-sufficiency in the production of modern fighter aircraft," it added.

Another Germany-based magazine Flugrevue ran the headline: "Turkish stealth fighter Kaan is flying." It said: "Turkey wants to use the model to replace the F-16 in the long term. The GE engines in the prototype, which are also used in the Fighting Falcon, will give way to a drive developed in Turkey in the future."

In a report titled: "Turkey's KAAN stealth fighter jet completes its first flight," published by MSN, the internet portal operated by Microsoft in Sweden, it was noted that the fifth-generation aircraft formerly known as TF-X is planned to replace the aging F-16s in the inventory of the Air Defense Command and to be gradually used starting from the 2030s.

Norway-based forsvaretsforum.no reported that KAAN stayed in the air for 13 minutes, reached a speed of 230 knots at an altitude of 8,000 feet, and despite being very powerful, the aircraft is difficult to detect on radar.

Denmark-based news site "carroemotos.com" said that KAAN represents Türkiye's "most ambitious technological leap" aimed at strengthening its defense capabilities and enhancing its strategic position on the global stage.

- Closer to replacing F-16 fleet

The US-based aviation magazine The Defense Post said that Türkiye's "first-ever domestically-made fighter jet has completed its maiden flight, bringing it closer to replacing the country’s aging F-16 fleet."

"It is described as a 'fully aware warrior' with intelligent and strong combat capabilities, as well as improved survivability and agility," it added.

It also shared details about the first flight and underlined that KAAN "boasts augmented lethality with the support of artificial intelligence and neural networks."

Meanwhile, another UK-based daily The Telegraph titled that Türkiye "develops stealth fighter after being kicked off F-35 programme."

It said: "Footage shows the sleek jet taxiing on an airbase runway, sunlight glinting off its nose, before it takes off and climbs to an altitude of 8,000ft."

It further said Türkiye was a F-35 fighter jet program member until 2019 and it had planned to purchase around 100 of the jets. "However, it was expelled from the group by the US, which was angered when Turkey decided to buy advanced S-400 air defence missile systems from Russia."

- Eyeing Asian buyers

Meanwhile, the Japan-based daily Nikkei Asia ran the headline: "Turkish fighter jet takes first flight as Ankara eyes Asian buyers."

It reported that the prototype of the Turkish fighter jet made its maiden flight with defense industry officials "hoping to eventually export the aircraft to countries in Asia and the Gulf."

Türkiye "has stepped up efforts to develop fighter planes since it was expelled from the F-35, 5th-generation stealth fighter aircraft program led by the U.S. in 2019 after it acquired Russian missile defense systems," it added.

Another military news site "warriormaven.com" said about KAAN that Türkiye's "indigenously designed and produced fifth-generation fighter jet, the Turkish Aerospace Industries Kaan, took to the skies on February 21st."

It stated that if the specifications, mentioned by the Turkish developers are met, "those speeds would, indeed, be faster than the United States’ F-35 fifth-generation fighter, which can at a speed of Mach 1.6 and a maximum height of 50,000 feet."

"However, the Turkish Kaan’s expected peak performance is notably substandard compared to the F-22, which flies at Mach 2.25, with a service ceiling of 65,000 feet," it added.