TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu made striking statements about the National Combat Aircraft KAAN project to the prominent American defence media outlet, Breaking Defense. Speaking about the Gulf’s interest in KAAN, Demiroğlu noted that with newly produced prototypes, the testing process is expected to be completed in a shorter-than-anticipated timeframe.
Testing Process to Accelerate
The Turkish Air Force eagerly awaits KAAN, designed and produced by TUSAŞ. It was announced that the second prototype will take to the skies in late 2025, while the third prototype is expected to commence flights in early 2026. Demiroğlu stated that intensive test flights would expedite the testing process, with the first production aircraft aimed to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force during the 2028–2029 period.
Strong Interest from Gulf Countries
Speaking to Breaking Defense reporter Agnes Helou at the IDEX-2025 defence fair, Demiroğlu revealed that a Gulf country is seriously considering joining the KAAN partnership. “Many countries are showing intense interest, but these processes take time and require high-level decisions. The KAAN programme will be carried out jointly,” he said.
Manned-Unmanned Operation Concept
KAAN will feature 6th-generation capabilities, with collaboration alongside Baykar to develop a manned-unmanned operation concept. Demiroğlu highlighted that data processing technologies from platforms like HÜRKUŞ, HÜRJET, and others would accelerate KAAN’s testing and development phases.
Major Projects with Saudi Arabia on the Horizon
Demiroğlu mentioned that the Turkish defence industry is engaged in advanced negotiations with Saudi Arabia and is confident that several major project partnerships will be announced in 2025. It was noted that the HÜRKUŞ-2 platform has attracted significant interest from Gulf, African, Central Asian, and Far Eastern countries.
TUSAŞ aims to achieve fast deliveries without compromising quality and to position platforms in the market with competitive costs within the next five years.
