The Turkish army faces the possibility of the Turkish Air and Space Industries Company inability to fulfill its promise, and to hand it over 20 homemade Kaan “QAN” fighters, due to the failure to obtain its American -made engines so far.
The Turkish government company is working to produce a developed fifth ghost fighter, relying on the local “TF-350000” engine, which is scheduled to be completed in Turkey in 2032, and the production of fully made fighters in Türkiye.
Until then, the Turkish Air and Space Industries Company decided to rely on the “F110” engines produced by the American company “General Electric”, to make the first batch of these fighters, and to fulfill the promise to hand over 20 Turkish Air Force fighters in 2028.
The US Congress has not granted his approval to sell these engines to Ankara so far, which was revealed by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, on his recent visit with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Washington a few days ago.
The Turkish minister’s speech sparked widespread controversy and many reactions in the country, in which politicians and military analysts participated, after the Turkish military industrial project appeared stumbling, and is still completely independent.
American procrastination
In this regard, the Turkish military analyst, Turan Ouguz, said that in 2032 his country has set a date for the production of “Qen” fighters with a local engine, but the developments witnessed by the region and the region prompted the Turkish Air Force Command to request 20 “Qen” fighters before that date.
Ouguz added, in press statements, that the goal was to hand over 20 “Qen” 4.5 aircraft, operating in American engines, in 2028, according to a plan to avoid deficiency in the fighters between 2028 and 2032, as well as buying European Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, for use between 2026-2028.
Although Congress has not refused to hand over the engines to Turkey, he has not yet approved his approval.
According to Oguz, the result is the same for Turkey, pointing to the right time to deliver engines is now, otherwise his country will produce its engines in 2030.
Opposition
And that issue took an internal political dimension, after the leader of the Republican People’s Party, the largest opposition party, Ozgor Ozil, published a picture of him near the fighter model “Qen” through his account on “X”, today, Wednesday, and said that “Qan does not derive its power from the outside, but from our nation.”
Ozil criticized Erdogan’s visit to Washington and his meeting with President Trump, and said that the Turkish president was looking for legitimacy from abroad, as well as criticizing the purchase of civil and military planes with billions of dollars in the two parties. The two parties discussed their completion.
Is Erdogan deceived?
Today, Wednesday, the Center for Media Displacement issued a statement denied the validity of “the allegations circulating in some media, and on social media that President Erdogan did not get information about the Kaan plane engines, or obtained false information.”
The government center said that Erdogan “as head of the executive committee for defense industries is directly leading strategic investments, and the National Aircraft Project (KAAN) and the National Motor Development Program advance in line with our president’s vision, will and design, in coordination with the presidency of defense industries, and thanks to the tireless efforts of Turkish engineers.”
In the same context, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Aviation Industry Company (TEI), Fakhruddin Ozturk, reduced the importance of what was raised about the stumbling of the “Qen” project, and said in a live broadcast via “X”, that the plan is going as it is decided.
Ozturk’s comments came two days after the President of Defense Industries, Haluk Gorgon, confirmed to the official “Anatolia” news agency, that his country does not depend on a single supply source in the “Qen” production project, ensuring commitment to the timetable.
Gorgon added that if necessary, a factory amendment can be made on one of the experimental engines, despite his approval of the need for engineering procedures and additional tests.
