Turkish Aerospace Industries readies ‘Kaan’ fighter prototype for 1st flight before 2027

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is preparing to launch the second prototype of its fifth-generation fighter jet Kaan before the end of the year, while the craft is being tested for high-speed taxi maneuvers, the firm’s general manager told Anadolu.

Mehmet Demiroglu, speaking on the sidelines of the aerospace and tech event TEKNOFEST Southeast, stated that all system checks on the P1, the first Kaan prototype, have been completed and the craft is slated to fly within weeks, while the assembly and testing for the P2 prototype continue.

“We’ll launch the P1 and the P2 immediately after, if there are no setbacks or delays, since we’ve already done the slow taxi tests for the P2,” he said.

Demiroglu stated that TAI achieved significant export milestones including a recent deal signed last month with Azerbaijan to supply 14 units of the Hurkus-II turboprop trainer.

“We will sign new export agreements for both the training and the light-armed attack configurations of the Hurkus in the coming months and years,” he noted. “The production batch for the Azerbaijani delivery will be produced here, while we will deliver products that we’re making for the Turkish Air Force to ensure speedy delivery.”

“We’ve applied what we learned from the first aircraft to the new platforms and prototypes, and they’re nearly complete, as we’ve completed over 600 hours of flight time with two prototypes, while the third made its first flight last month and the fourth is on the way,” he said, noting that the first delivery of the mass-produced Hurjet units will be provided to the Turkish Air Force by late 2027 and will then be allocated to fulfill export deliveries to Spain by late 2028.

Demiroglu stated that the manufacturing architecture of the firm is being overhauled into a tiered subcontracting model to outsource up to 70% of part and subassembly fabrication, distributing structural workloads like wings, tails, and fuselages among seven to eight domestic partners to meet delivery deadlines while limiting production costs.

Efforts are also ongoing for the Air SOJ airborne electronic warfare project as well, with flight qualification trials currently underway for two specialized platforms.

TAI aims to deliver its first two operational Air SOJ platforms next year in coordination with Aselsan and the Defense Industries Agency (SSB).