Turkey Seeks Partners for Costly KAAN Fighter as Saudi Arabia Considers Investment
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- Saudi Arabia and Turkey are discussing joint investment in the KAAN fifth-generation fighter program, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying a decision could come soon.
- Indonesia has signed a 10-year deal worth more than US$10 billion to buy 48 KAAN jets, including limited co-production in Indonesia.
- The program faces engine uncertainty as Turkey seeks a domestic powerplant after reported US restrictions on deliveries of F110-GE-129 engines for the first batch.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey are weighing a joint investment in Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet program, KAAN. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a decision on the development plan could be made soon.
“A decision may be taken soon,” Erdogan said on Thursday (Feb. 6, 2026), as quoted by Middle East Eye (MEE).
“We are signing a significant defense industry cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we are determined to strengthen it further,” Erdogan told reporters on his way back to Turkey after visiting Egypt and Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
Turkey began developing its fifth-generation fighter in 2010. The effort was expected to accelerate after Ankara was removed from the US-led F-35 program in 2019 following its purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system — a move that also triggered sanctions by the US Congress.
The KAAN project is widely seen as costly, pushing Ankara to seek international partners.
In June, Indonesia signed an agreement to purchase 48 KAAN fighter jets under a deal valued at more than 10 billion US dollars. The 10-year arrangement includes joint production of certain KAAN components in Indonesia.
Other countries, including Qatar and Azerbaijan, have also expressed interest in acquiring the aircraft.
KAAN made its maiden flight in February 2024 and is currently powered by two General Electric F110-GE-129 engines — the same model used on Turkey’s F-16 fighter jets. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which leads the KAAN program, is developing a domestically produced engine for the aircraft.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last year that the US Congress had blocked the delivery of F110-GE-129 engines intended for the first batch of KAAN aircraft.
TAI aims to deliver the first KAAN jets to the Turkish Air Force by the end of 2028, although some analysts say the timeline could slip to 2030. The first 10 KAAN Block-1 fighter jets are scheduled to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force between 2030 and 2033.
Indonesianpost.com | Republika
