TF-X / KAAN / Hürjet Turkish Fighter & Trainer Aircrafts News & Discussions

[Anatolia]

The Kaan is not available for sale or export and won't for another 10-15 years.

Everyone kept saying in 2025 that KAAN was “10–15 years away from export.” Now we’re heading into 2027 and the same line is still being repeated like nothing has changed. At this rate, even when KAAN is flying full mission profiles and entering proper squadron service, people will still be parroting the same timeline. There’s no doubt it will take time to mature, but the realistic window is early 2030s, not some distant 2040s fantasy. My own guess is around 2033, when a stable Block‑20 or Block‑30 configuration is ready for foreign customers.

The part people ignore is that export timing isn’t about whether KAAN exists, but whether the right block is ready. Block‑10 is for Türkiye only, using F110 engines and early‑stage avionics. Block‑20 with the TF35000 engine is the real export baseline, because that’s when Türkiye has full sovereignty over propulsion, EW, and stealth coatings. The flight test tempo is accelerating, more prototypes are joining the program, and weapons integration is moving faster than outsiders expected. Türkiye’s doctrine is shifting toward a KAAN/Kızılelma/Anka‑3 ecosystem, which means the whole system will mature quicker than the old “10–15 years” meme suggests.

People also forget that export policy is political, not technical. Once Türkiye has a decent domestic fleet, maybe 40–60 aircraft in service, export doors open

 

[Afif]

Everyone kept saying in 2025 that KAAN was “10–15 years away from export.” Now we’re heading into 2027 and the same line is still being repeated like nothing has changed. At this rate, even when KAAN is flying full mission profiles and entering proper squadron service, people will still be parroting the same timeline. There’s no doubt it will take time to mature, but the realistic window is early 2030s, not some distant 2040s fantasy. My own guess is around 2033, when a stable Block‑20 or Block‑30 configuration is ready for foreign customers.

The part people ignore is that export timing isn’t about whether KAAN exists, but whether the right block is ready. Block‑10 is for Türkiye only, using F110 engines and early‑stage avionics. Block‑20 with the TF35000 engine is the real export baseline, because that’s when Türkiye has full sovereignty over propulsion, EW, and stealth coatings. The flight test tempo is accelerating, more prototypes are joining the program, and weapons integration is moving faster than outsiders expected. Türkiye’s doctrine is shifting toward a KAAN/Kızılelma/Anka‑3 ecosystem, which means the whole system will mature quicker than the old “10–15 years” meme suggests.

People also forget that export policy is political, not technical. Once Türkiye has a decent domestic fleet, maybe 40–60 aircraft in service, export doors open

Turkish officials now pushed the timeline for TF35000 mass production into 2035. (From previously announced 2033) That is for TurAF. And to make enough engine to simultaneously meet TurAF and export need would at least take additional 1/2 years. So no export delivery until 2036/37. That is a decade away.

 

[worldwar]

Turkey’s KAAN fighter program was first launched as early as 2010, when it was initially expected to enter service around 2025. Since then, the program has gone through multiple revisions to its development and service-entry timeline.

When the aircraft was first unveiled internationally at the 2019 Paris Air Show, the projected entry-into-service date was around 2028.
Now, after repeated delays and revisions over the years, the latest projection has reportedly been pushed back to 2036.

The question is whether even this latest 2036 target can actually be achieved.
By 2035, both the United States and China are expected to have begun deploying their sixth-generation fighter aircraft in large numbers, including the F-47, J-50, and J-36.

Pakistan should do for Turkey’s aviation industry what it did in supporting Turkey’s drone development: leverage its partnership with China to covertly obtain Chinese technologies and help advance Turkey’s aerospace industry.

 

[worldwar]

Academic Year| Total Number of Registered Turkish Students in China| Remarks
2022–2023| Approx. 860| Student arrivals resumed after the pandemic, and the number began to recover
2023–2024| Approx. 970| Applications increased amid growing bilateral trade and economic ties
2024–2025| 1,058| Official figure announced by the Turkish Ambassador to China at a press conference in February 2025

Under Pakistan’s influence, an increasing number of Turkish students are quietly choosing to study in China.

 

[rakib]

Since I did not receive a response for my request for permission to post a copy paste image and the thread link from defencehub dot live, I will take that as a yes. Here is the image of Twin engine Hurjet-X/N, I call it Hurjet-2 with 2 x TF-10000 engine.

Twin-Engine HÜRJET: Could a TF6000-Derived Naval Variant Fill MUGEM's Fighter Gap?

This is something many of us have kicked around in various threads over the years: what if HÜRJET went twin-engine? Not as a fantasy sketch, but as a serious engineering question. With MUGEM's first steel already cut in 2025 and acceptance trials presumably targeting 2032, the clock is ticking...

defencehub.live

This is a two page thread where Turkish posters discuss this issue.

 

[Flotilla]

If they build a Naval 2 engine jet, its going to need to be a completely new design, not a porting of an existing Air Force design. Lets see how this goes. How many would need to be produced for it to be worthwhile. Lets see, for all we know, Turkey might be forced into a situation where it looks to build a drone force instead, you break new grounds in different areas depending on the element one is forced into out of necessity.

Agreed.

It is not only the challenges and costs of designing and test a two engine naval aircraft, you must also develop a completely new logistic line, even the avgas is different when we are talking about naval aircraft.

And also pilot recruiting and training is very expensive.

Being Turkey one of the two world drones top Producers, It would be simpler just to modify the Anka III and Kizilelma to make an aircraft drones carrier. Both of them can make probably 70 or 80% of a manned aircraft.

To me It is much more promising the LHD type 076 than another Nuclear carrier. With the price of a CVN you can have two Type 076 LHD with less than a half of a CVN crew.

 

[Pokemonte13]

Agreed.

It is not only the challenges and costs of designing and test a two engine naval aircraft, you must also develop a completely new logistic line, even the avgas is different when we are talking about naval aircraft.

And also pilot recruiting and training is very expensive.

Being Turkey one of the two world drones top Producers, It would be simpler just to modify the Anka III and Kizilelma to make an aircraft drones carrier. Both of them can make probably 70 or 80% of a manned aircraft.

To me It is much more promising the LHD type 076 than another Nuclear carrier. With the price of a CVN you can have two Type 076 LHD with less than a half of a CVN crew.

The drones also have the same issue as hürjet that is weak thrust for reasonable carrier ops. A twin engine solution is preferred for safety and payload capacity especially when the carrier lack a catapult system. The indians already ran into this issue with the light fighter, hopefully we will have a catapult system available sooner than later.

 

[Deino]

This is not true. Indonesia already signed an export contract. Deliveries will be in the 2030s.

Come on; since when is the signature of Indonesia - which currently buys anything with wings - relevant for the service entry especially when the timeline for the TF35000 is still totally unrealistic?

 

[Ali_Baba]

Come on; since when is the signature of Indonesia - which currently buys anything with wings - relevant for the service entry especially when the timeline for the TF35000 is still totally unrealistic?

Indonesia Signs Contract With Türkiye to Buy 48 KAAN Fighter Jets

The planned acquisition of the Turkish fighter marks an extension of Jakarta’s promiscuous approach to the modernization of its ageing fighter fleet.

thediplomat.com

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-signs-contract-with-turkey-buy-48-kaan-fighter-jets-2025-07-29/

Here are the references.

 

[Deino]

Indonesia Signs Contract With Türkiye to Buy 48 KAAN Fighter Jets

The planned acquisition of the Turkish fighter marks an extension of Jakarta’s promiscuous approach to the modernization of its ageing fighter fleet.

thediplomat.com

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-signs-contract-with-turkey-buy-48-kaan-fighter-jets-2025-07-29/

Here are the references.

The point is, it is irrelevant … as long as the incline is not ready Kaan won‘t be exported regardless what anyone or even Indonesia wants or has signed. The engine is the give or go item, not the signature of a nation that is totally irrelevant to the project.

 

[hyperman]

The point is, it is irrelevant … as long as the incline is not ready Kaan won‘t be exported regardless what anyone or even Indonesia wants or has signed. The engine is the give or go item, not the signature of a nation that is totally irrelevant to the project.

Deino you have been doubting the Turkish Defense Industry all throughout the 2010s and been eating crow every time. You even said this TFX Jet was fake and domestic politics, up until we saw it fly, so maybe temper the cynicism a bit.

So if we are going by prediction records I'd trust the TAI/TFX Engineers more so than your predictions. If they feel that it will be ready for export in the 2030s, think I think there is a decent chance.

Turkey already signed an export contract for Hurjet and with a Large NATO state no less, deliveries are in 2028.

 

[MMM-E]

The TF-35.000 Engine will be ready in 2030s , Believe it or not, it doesn't matter

The important thing is not the random People on PDF, but the Indonesian officials who signed the agreement for 48 KAAN to Indonesian Air Force

Your wishful thinking is irrelevant

Both KAAN and TF-35,000 projects progressing very well

 

[Pokemonte13]

in this regard i have to admit our german friend has a point. The plane will be ready but there is still some uncertainty about engine with current plan being very tight. Not everything goes according to the timeline as we know from other projects. first ignition test are to start next year with plane integration/testing following in 2032ish and delivery to indonesia is to be finished by 2035. Hell Tf6000 isnt even finished not to mention TF10000 (i know Tf35000 takes priority)

 

[Pioneer]

But after 2035, many things began to change. The SK-Indo's KF-21 became more mature, and there were almost no restrictions.

And I heard that SK is also make engines. In short.Time is running out for Türkiye.

Sorry.There may be some offense. Time is not on the side of Türkiye.

 

[MMM-E]

When the TF-35.000 Engine will be ready in 2035 for export , Dozens of Countries will buy KAAN Fighter Jet as like Turkish UCAVs

Indonesia has signed an agreement to buy 48 KAAN and 12 KIZILELMA unmanned stealth Fighter Jets

Türkiye's biggest advantage is KAAN , ANKA-3 , KIZILELMA ( manned - unmanned team ) even We have already started selling them