As of: February 16, 2024, 11:46 a.m
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
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Press
Split
Turkey and Ukraine have close cooperation in the defense industry.
There should also be cooperation on the Turkish fighter jet.
Ankara – Turkey is setting up increasingly ambitious projects in the defense industry.
The emphasis of the government of Head of State Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on domestic production and thus independence from other countries.
It's about ballistic missiles, armored vehicles, tanks, warships, drones - and now fighter jets.
The aim is to cooperate with Ukraine, especially when it comes to the engine.
This was confirmed by the Ukrainian ambassador in Ankara.
Turkey and Ukraine want to work together on “KAAN”: Turkish fighter jet should fly soon
Especially with drones, but also other projects, Turkey is one of the world's most important manufacturers of defense products.
With the “KAAN” fighter jet from the state aviation group TAI/TUSAS, the country wants to give its own position a further, powerful boost.
The project has been running for several years: the engine was started for the first time in mid-2023 and the Turkish plane covered several meters on the ground.
The first real flight has not yet been completed, but it looks like there are already customers for the fighter jet.
In an interview with
CNN Türk,
the Ukrainian ambassador to Ankara, Vasyl Bodnar, said Ukraine was interested in the plane and even wanted to help.
“Ukrainian teams continue their work on the KAAN engine, they are working on the project,” Bodnar told the channel.
The collaboration is not a new idea: “The discussions had already started before the war in Ukraine.” Ukrainian companies have experience with the production of engines.
The ambassador pointed to good partnership experiences between the two countries and the rapid production capacity of the Ukrainian industry for the Turkish aircraft.
“If we can prevent third parties from the East or West from interfering, then we can become an important common power in the region,” Bodnar said enthusiastically.
Ukraine wants to order Turkish fighter jet: “We will not just buy it, we will use it”
Turkey wants to install American GE-F110 engines in the prototypes and the first fighter jets from series production.
This caused criticism in the country and especially among opposition supporters and raised doubts about the domestic character of the pilot.
According to the critics, it is just an assembly of foreign parts.
The other side replies that in the defense and civil industries of the modern world it is quite normal for several countries to work together.
After all, it is said that the USA did not produce the F-35 alone.
In any case, Ukraine is waiting for the day when the country can order the plane.
Asked whether Ukraine would buy the fighter jet, Bodnar replied: “We will not only buy it, we will also use it.
And we already know where we will use it.” From Ukraine it is said again and again that a strong air fleet can decisively deter Russia and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.
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Engine hurdle for Turkish fighter jet: engines from the USA or Ukraine as a temporary solution
However, Ukraine still has to be patient, at least for the Turkish fighter jet.
After a successful ground test, the first flight was actually supposed to take place on December 27, 2023, but it was postponed.
A new date is not known.
The assumption: Erdogan wants to see the first flight of the “KAAN” shortly before the regional elections on March 31st and thus advertise himself as a man of great progress.
The plane is already assembled, has an engine and can move on the ground, but until the first flight is completed, nothing is certain.
Even if “KAAN” has completed its first flight, several years will still have to pass and thousands of tests will have to be carried out until the fighter jet is mature enough for real missions.
After Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program because of its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, the country invested heavily in this project.
The fact that a first prototype is now actually available gives many people hope.
Of course, Erdogan also hopes that the plane will be a success for his own image.
The engine is still a hurdle in many Turkish aviation projects.
The TAI/TUSAS subsidiary TEI already produces engines for ballistic missiles and engines for tanks and armored vehicles.
There are also already very advanced projects for fighter jet engines.
However, it will take a few more years until they are finished and ripe enough.
Turkey wants to bridge this period with American - or Ukrainian - engines.
Turkish drones “defenders of Ukrainian territory”: They are to be produced in Ukraine
In any case, progress is moving much faster on the drone front.
Most recently, the stealth drone “Anka-3” was unveiled, a response from the state-owned company TAI/TUSAS to the “Kizilelma” from Baykar, the company owned by Erdogan's son-in-law Selcuk Bayraktar.
Both have already had their first successful flights and will soon go into series production to be delivered first to the Turkish army and later exported.
The list of Turkish drones is long: the famous Bayraktar TB2, the TB3, Akinci, Kizilelma, Anka, Aksungur, Göksungur, kamikaze drones like the Kargu and more.
Not only did the Turkish army benefit from the TB2 in Syria, Iraq and Libya, but also Ukraine against Putin's troops at the beginning of the Kremlin's war of aggression.
Dozens of footage show TB2s attacking and eliminating Russian vehicles and gatherings of soldiers.
“It is a very important dimension of our cooperation,” Ambassador Bodnar told
CNN Türk
.
The TB2 is very popular among the population as a “defender of Ukrainian territory”.
In fact, soldiers composed songs for the Turkish drone, there were TB2 plush toys, radio stations with the name and T-shirts.
“Parents even gave their children the name Bayraktar,” Bodnar said.
The Turkish company Baykar is now building a production and repair facility in Ukraine.
Drones for the Ukrainian army will be produced and maintained there.
However, it will be kept secret when the system, which is already being built, will be ready for operation, said Bodnar.
(bb)