The first prototype of Turkey’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, has completed its second successful test flight.
The news was announced by the head of the nation’s Defense Industry Agency, Haluk Gorgun, on May 6, 2024.
“Our national combat aircraft […] took off from the runway at 08.46 this morning, remained in the air for 14 minutes, and reached an altitude of 10,000 feet (3 kilometers),” Gorgun said on X (formerly Twitter.) “With confident steps towards mass production, our skies are in good hands thanks to our local and national technologies!”
Tarihin içinde tarihi bir an daha…#KAAN’ımız bugün ikinci kez #GökVatan ile buluştu! 🇹🇷✈️
— Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün (@halukgorgun) May 6, 2024
Heyecanlı ve gururluyuz.
İlk uçuşunu 21 Şubat’ta başarı ile gerçekleştiren Milli Muharip Uçağımız, bu sabah 08.46’da pisten havalanarak 14 dakika havada kaldı ve 10 bin feet irtifaya… pic.twitter.com/aGNviQxyAX
The initial prototype’s maiden flight took place on February 21, 2024. A second prototype is currently under construction.
KAAN is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft designed with low-observability features. It is planned to carry weapons inside and outside the fuselage, have an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system, and advanced data link capabilities.
The KAAN program seeks to update Turkey’s fighter aircraft fleet and improve national defense capabilities to meet the strategic requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces. The development of the TF-X began in 2010 but faced several disruptions and delays. The process gained momentum in 2019 after Turkey was removed from the F-35 program.
