Turkey Submits Formal Request to Acquire “Hurjet”, “KAAN” Fighter Jet Engines from the US

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Turkey has reportedly submitted a formal request to the United States to purchase engines for its light fighter jet, “Hurjet,” and the fifth-generation fighter jet, “KAAN,” currently under development.

The Mediterranean nation seeks to acquire F404 engines from GE Aerospace for the initial variant of its Hurjet light fighter jet and F110 engines for the KAAN fighter jet.

Both aircraft are planned to be equipped with domestically produced engines in later years.

Turkish officials confirmed the request to Bloomberg, noting that approval of the engine purchase could ease the longstanding tension between Turkey and the United States.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated after Ankara acquired the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.

In response, Turkey was removed from the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet procurement program and faced U.S. military sanctions, preventing the country from acquiring any military products from the U.S.

 Following the purchase of the S-400 system, Turkey was barred from continuing its procurement of 100 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets.

In a previous interview with a Turkish defense portal, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) CEO Mehmet Demiroglu expressed confidence that acquiring the engines would not be an issue.

 TAI is responsible for developing both the “Hurjet” and “KAAN” programs.

“Engines are an important component. Currently, the engines for the KAAN and Hurjet fighter jets are pending U.S. Congressional approval.

We do not anticipate any problems at this time,” he told the Turkish defense portal.

“It’s a process, and sometimes it takes time.”

Despite this, Demiroglu remains optimistic, especially following the recent approval for Turkey’s purchase of F-16s.

Earlier this year, Washington approved Turkey’s request to acquire 40 new F-16 fighter jets and 80 modernization kits worth $23 billion (RM107 billion) after Ankara ratified a law allowing Sweden to join NATO.

This approval ended a years-long dispute between Ankara and Washington over the F-16 fighter jet acquisition.

“If, for some reason, Turkey’s request for engines for KAAN and Hurjet does not materialize, we will take matters into our own hands. We will not stop here. We will look for alternative solutions, whether by seeking a new engine or developing our own,” said Mehmet.

“We have already begun developing an engine for KAAN and will do the same for the Hurjet light fighter. What else can we do? We will not abandon the KAAN fighter development program.”

The F110 engine for the KAAN fighter jet and the F404 engine for the Hurjet light fighter jet are both manufactured by General Electric in the United States.

Turkey is reportedly seeking to procure 100 F404 engines for the Hurjet and has requested that the F110 engines be manufactured domestically in Turkey to meet domestic demand.

As an interim measure before it can build its own fighter jet engines, Turkey has sought U.S. approval to license-build the F110 GE-129 engine domestically.

Turkey intends to use the F110 GE-129 engine for the first batch of KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets under development before eventually replacing it with a locally produced engine.

The F110 GE-129 is the twin-engine version of the F-110 engine used in the F-15 fighter jet, while the F-110 GE-110 version is used in the F-16 fighter jet, which is also operated by the Turkish Air Force.

Therefore, the first batch of Turkey’s KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets will likely be powered by the same engine used in the F-15.

The request to license-build the F110 GE-129 engine in Turkey follows an agreement between TUSAS Engine Industries (TEI) and GE Aerospace.

 TEI was established as a partnership between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), GE Aerospace, and several local entities to enable Turkey to become self-reliant in producing engines for aircraft and missiles. – DSA