Why Trump’s $700 million jet engine deal could transform Türkiye’s KAAN fighter
The Donald Trump administration has moved ahead with a proposed deal to sell General Electric (GE) F110 fighter jet engines to Türkiye, giving a major boost to Ankara’s indigenous KAAN fifth-generation fighter programme.According to Reuters, the proposed deal is worth more than $700 million and covers dozens of GE F110 engines. The Trump administration has formally notified the US Congress about the proposed sale.
“The US government is prepared to license the export of these items having taken into account political, military, economic, human rights and arms control considerations,” the US State Department said in its notification to Congress.The announcement comes ahead of the Nato summit scheduled to be held in Türkiye next month.The engine deal removes one of the biggest hurdles facing the KAAN programme. Although Türkiye has successfully designed and flown the aircraft, it has yet to field an operational indigenous engine for the fighter.The GE F110 engines will power the initial production batches of the KAAN until Türkiye’s domestically developed TEI-TF35000 engine enters service.Türkiye already has extensive experience operating the GE F110, as the same engine powers many of its F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
KAAN: Turkey fifth generation fighter
What is the KAAN fighter?Türkiye launched the TF-X programme in 2016 through Turkish Aerospace Industries to develop a twin-engine, fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter. The aircraft is intended to replace the ageing F-16 fleet and was originally planned to operate alongside the F-35However, the programme gained greater strategic importance after the United States removed Türkiye from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in 2019 following Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system.The KAAN prototype completed its maiden flight in February 2024, powered by two GE F110 engines. The aircraft is currently undergoing flight testing and further development.KAAN specificationsWingspan: 13.4 metresLength: 20.3 metresMaximum take-off weight: Around 34,000 kgEngines: Two GE F110 turbofan engines producing 131 kN of thrust eachMaximum speed: Mach 1.8 (around 2,200 km/h)Service ceiling: 55,000 feetFeatures: Supercruise capability, internal weapons bays and next-generation avionicsTürkiye is also developing a new family of air-to-air missiles for the KAAN, including the Gökdoğan (Bozdoğan) and Gökhan missiles.The proposed US engine sale is expected to provide a strategic boost to Türkiye’s ambition of joining the small group of countries capable of designing, developing and producing fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft.
