 has confirmed preliminary government-to-government contacts with Spain over the possible sale of its KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet, the Spanish defense news outlet Infodefensa reported on Thursday.){kind=link}
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has confirmed preliminary government-to-government contacts with Spain over the possible sale of its KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet, the Spanish defense news outlet Infodefensa reported on Thursday.
The talks are at an early stage and involve both technical and political channels, Infodefensa reported, citing Turkish Aerospace Chief Executive Mehmet Demiroğlu during the SAHA 2026 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition in İstanbul.
Demiroğlu said Spain had expressed interest in a fifth-generation fighter jet and that any possible KAAN sale would be handled between the two governments, according to the report. He said Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industry, the government agency that oversees defense procurement, would coordinate the Turkish side of the process.
The possible KAAN talks follow a 2.6 billion euro agreement signed in December under which Spain will buy 30 Hürjet light training jets from TAI starting in 2028. The deal marked the first foreign sale of the Turkish-made Hürjet and included training, maintenance and support infrastructure.
The report said TAI would be willing to pursue a model similar to Hürjet deal, including technology transfer and participation by Spanish companies.
Spain has been reviewing options for its future combat aircraft fleet after ruling out the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets. A Spanish Defense Ministry spokesperson said in August that Madrid was choosing between the Eurofighter and the Future Combat Air System, a European project involving France, Germany and Spain, Reuters reported.
The KAAN is Turkey’s domestically developed next-generation combat aircraft and is intended to replace the Turkish air force’s F-16 jets beginning in the 2030s. Turkey signed a procurement contract for the aircraft this week during the SAHA defense exhibition in İstanbul, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.
TAI says the KAAN completed its first flight on February 21, 2024, staying in the air for 13 minutes and reaching 8,000 feet. Its second test flight took place on May 6, 2024.