The Turkish Air Force has signed a deal to purchase 20 domestically developed KAAN Block 10 advanced fighter jets at the SAHA defense exhibition in Istanbul.
This was reported by Breaking Defense.
The contract was signed by Turkish Aerospace and the Turkish Secretariat of Defense Industries. The company expects the number of ordered aircraft to increase over time.
“The first sale involves an initial batch of 20 Block 10 aircraft. This is the first order. We expect the number to increase over time,” Mehmet Demiroglu told Breaking Defense after the official signing of the deal.
According to preliminary plans, the first 20 KAAN Block 10 aircraft are to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force by 2028. Initially, the fighter will be equipped with two General Electric F110-GE-129 engines, which are also used on Turkish F-16C Block 50s. In the future, TAI plans to replace them with domestically developed engines.
The national agreement is not the first contract for Turkish fighters; in July 2025, Indonesia signed a contract to purchase 48 KAAN fighters from Turkey.
Delivery of KAAN fighters to Indonesia is to be carried out within 120 months. According to Turkish journalists, the cost of the 10-year project exceeds $10 billion.
KAAN
Development of the Turkish KAAN fighter jet, previously known as the Milli Muharip Uçak or TF-X, began in 2010 to replace the aging fleet of F-16 fighter jets.
Turkish developers aim to create a combat aircraft with low radar visibility and high maneuverability.
The aircraft will feature a modern optoelectronic targeting system and onboard radar. Production of three MMU Block prototypes is planned by the end of 2026, and one Block I prototype by 2029.
The aircraft made its first flight in February 2024. Development is ongoing in stages, so key weapons systems will be installed on later prototypes.
According to the Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology, the aircraft’s internal weapons bays are planned to integrate the national medium- to long-range GÖKDOĞAN air-to-air missiles, short-range BOZDOĞAN air-to-air missiles, advanced GÖKHAN ramjet missiles, and SOM-J cruise missiles.
