On 15 December 2010, Turkey's Defence Industry Executive Committee (SSIK) approved the design, development, and manufacture of a national next-generation air superiority fighter to replace Turkey's F-16 fleet and operate alongside other key assets such as the
F-35 Lightning II.
Bid In March 2015, the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) issued a Request for Information to Turkish companies which had the capability "to perform a genuine design, development and production activities of the first Turkish fighter aircraft to meet Turkish Armed Forces' next generation fighter requirements" signalling the official start of the program. • Saab AB would provide technological design assistance for Turkey's TF-X program. • TAI would have the option to purchase Saab's fighter aircraft design unit. This plan was later abandoned. In January 2015, then-Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu announced that the TF-X program will be a completely independent domestic platform, not in partnership with Korea, Sweden, Brazil or Indonesia.
BAE Systems Secretary
James Cleverly examines the TFX-Kaan mock-up during his visit to the
Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in
Turkey (2023) In December 2015, Turkey's Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) announced that it had chosen
BAE Systems of the United Kingdom to assist with the design of the nation's next-generation air superiority fighter. On the same day,
Rolls-Royce offered technology transfer for the EJ200 engine and joint-development of a derivative for the TF-X program. On 14 March 2022, Kale & Rolls-Royce re-started the progress of developing an engine for the TF-X program, stating that the previous disputes between the companies have been resolved and that the first prototypes of the TF-X will use the F110 engine. On 5 March 2022, İsmail Demir, undersecretary for Defence Industries, said the government would now negotiate a possible engine deal with Rolls-Royce. “We had some issues [with Rolls-Royce] before. These have been resolved. I think we are ready to work together.” In May 2022, while visiting the UK, Demir said, "It is imperative for us that the engine be produced in Turkey… that Turkey should possess intellectual property rights." His statement implied that the same dispute over intellectual properties of the engine which previously stalled the negotiation between Rolls-Royce and Turkey in 2019 remained unresolved. As of 2 June 2022, an unknown number of
General Electric F110 engines were delivered to TEI as the first batch, according to the agreement between
Tusaş Engine Industries (TEI) and
GE Aerospace, that comprises a total delivery of 10 engines. In July 2022, the
Defence Industry Agency published the
invitation to tender for the domestic development of the engine to be used. İsmail Demir, undersecretary for Defence Industry Agency, stated that TRMotor, which is a subsidiary of TAI, has submitted its proposal and Turkish Air Engine Company (TAEC), consortium by Kale Group and
Rolls-Royce, will submit its offer soon. In January 2025, President of
Defence Industry Agency Haluk Görgün said that after 2030, Kaan will fly with a completely domestic engine.
Production On 4 November 2021, the first piece of the MMU was manufactured.
Temel Kotil, CEO of
TAI said; The other 20,000 parts of TF-X were planned to be ready by the end of 2022. In February 2022, TAI's Deputy General Manager responsible for the TFX, Dr. Uğur Zengin, stated that 550 TF-X parts were in production. The maiden flight was planned for 2025, but has been rescheduled for the end of 2023. The aircraft was officially named
Kaan on 1 May 2023. In May 2023, TAI CEO
Temel Kotil said the company expects to deliver twenty Block 10 aircraft to the
Turkish Air Force in 2028, then two aircraft per month by 2029, generating $2.4 billion in annual revenues for TAI.
Prototypes On 21 February 2024, Kaan's first prototype, the P0, conducted its maiden flight.
TAI shared a video showing a Kaan jet taking off and then returning to
Mürted Airfield Command in the north
Ankara. During this flight, Kaan remained in the air for 13 minutes and reached a speed of 230 knots (426 km/h) at an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,438 m). Kaan successfully completed its second flight on 6 May 2024, reaching 10,000 feet (3,048 m) and stayed in the air for 14 minutes. Kaan successfully conducted a twin-engine afterburner test on the ground on 6 December 2024. It was announced by TAI that the second prototype of Kaan is under construction and will fly in the last quarter of 2025. The first image of the second prototype of Kaan was presented to the press by the President of the
Defence Industry Agency on 14 January 2025. It was stated in the same statement that 6 prototypes of Kaan would be built for testing and development studies. TAI General Manager Demiroğlu stated that the first flight of Kaan's second prototype has been postponed to April or May 2026. Photos of the fuselage section of Kaan's second prototype, the P1, were released to the press on 26 September 2025. It was announced that Kaan's third prototype, the P2, is also under construction and is scheduled to fly a few months after the second, in July or August. It was stated that the second (P1) and third (P2) prototypes were much more advanced than the first prototype (P0) and would include many important flight and avionics parts that were not present in the first prototype. It was also reported that an unnamed prototype is under construction solely for ground testing. TAI announced on 13 February 2026 that Kaan prototypes were under construction and unveiled three prototypes to the press. Analysts have identified some modifications in prototypes P1 and P2 that differ from those in prototype P0. ==Design==