Turkey’s foreign minister and the head of the country’s defense procurement agency issued conflicting statements this week on the engine supply for the domestically built KAAN fighter jet, exposing uncertainty around Ankara’s flagship defense project.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking in New York, said licenses for the US-made F110 turbofan engines needed for KAAN are stalled in the US Congress.
He said the engines must be delivered for production to begin and described the dispute, rooted in 2019 sanctions, as a “systemic problem” in defense trade between the two NATO allies.
The US imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act after Ankara acquired the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, a move Washington said compromised NATO security.
Haluk Görgün, the head of Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industry, responded that there is “no delay” in KAAN’s delivery schedule. He said the project is “in no way dependent on the engine of a single country” and confirmed that all prototype engines have already been delivered, with test production continuing “at full speed.”
Görgün acknowledged that Ankara has applied to Washington for the engines needed in the first block of KAAN aircraft, planned for delivery to the Turkish Air Force beginning in 2028.
He said those units are the only ones directly affected by the licensing dispute and added that Turkey is pursuing multiple supply channels and alternatives to reduce dependence. He noted that it is technically possible to switch engines for the first block if required, though such a move would require engineering adjustments.
Görgün said the long-term plan is to integrate Turkey’s domestically developed TF-35000 engine into KAAN around 2032. Ground testing of the engine is scheduled to begin in 2026, according to Gökvatan, the in-house publication of Turkish Aerospace Industries. Defense analyst Burak Yıldırım questioned whether Turkey can meet that timetable, citing international examples.
“China, despite its vast resources, spent decades developing its first modern jet engines before deploying them in fighter aircraft,” he wrote on X, adding that Turkey “does not have China’s financial, industrial or human capital capacity.” He said reliance on US-made F110 engines for KAAN’s early blocks gives Washington a strong hand in negotiations and accused Ankara of inadequate long-term planning.
Political criticism has also emerged. Turhan Çömez, a lawmaker from the nationalist opposition IYI (Good) Party, accused the government of misleading the public about KAAN’s independence from foreign suppliers.
“You marketed KAAN as fully domestic and national, but even the engines are imported,” he wrote on X. “You conducted test flights with a substitute engine and announced an export deal for 48 aircraft that still lack engines. How will you deliver them to Indonesia?”
Görgün said the export deal will not be affected and that planes intended for foreign buyers will be equipped with Turkey’s own engines. The agreement with Indonesia, signed in July during the International Defense Industry Fair in İstanbul, covers 48 aircraft but is not a final sales contract.
Analysts note that Jakarta has previously signed similar preliminary deals with South Korea, France and the United States, underscoring the uncertainty around its procurement plans.