Why Saudi Arabia Seeks to Acquire 100 Units of Türkiye’s 5th-Generation KAAN Fighter Jets ??
Since 2017, Saudi Arabia has been attempting to secure the F-35 fighter jets manufactured by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin but has faced numerous obstacles, ultimately hindering its aspirations to obtain the crown jewel of Washington's fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The failure to procure the U.S.-made fifth-generation fighter jet, the F-35, along with a policy to diversify its defense imports and reduce dependency on Washington, are believed to be the primary reasons behind Saudi Arabia’s intent to acquire up to 100 units of Türkiye’s fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN.
Since 2017, Saudi Arabia has been attempting to secure the F-35 fighter jets manufactured by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin but has faced numerous obstacles, ultimately hindering its aspirations to obtain the crown jewel of Washington’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
A key factor preventing Saudi Arabia from acquiring the F-35 has been opposition from Israel and its influential lobbyists in Washington, concerned that Tel Aviv’s “Qualitative Military Edge” (QME) over Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, could be undermined if Riyadh were granted access to the advanced aircraft.
Israel not only voiced its opposition to Saudi Arabia’s F-35 ambitions but also strongly protested the proposed sale of 50 F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020, despite then-President Donald Trump approving the deal.
The opposition stemmed from fears that such a sale would erode Israel’s QME advantage over its regional neighbors.
This concern over maintaining QME has also led Israel to object to the sale of long-range air-to-air missiles like the AIM-120 AMRAAM and METEOR to Egypt and other nations operating F-16 and Rafale fighters.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia has reportedly been subjected to “conditions” before it could be given the green light to purchase the F-35.
Among these conditions are recognizing the existence of the “illegal state” of Israel and establishing diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, even as the Jewish state continues to occupy Palestine and commit violence against its people.
Saudi Arabia’s policy of diversifying its defense procurement to reduce reliance on the United States is also cited as a major reason for its interest in acquiring Türkiye’s KAAN fighter jets.
Currently, the Royal Saudi Air Force operates F-15 and Eurofighter Typhoon jets, and the potential addition of the KAAN would further diversify its combat aircraft fleet.
Diversifying its defense systems has become a key policy for Riyadh, which has aggressively pursued this strategy in recent years, particularly as bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Washington cooled under former U.S. President Joe Biden.
During Biden’s tenure, Saudi Arabia strengthened its defense and foreign ties with China and Russia, acquiring various weapon systems from these global powers.
The proposal for the procurement of the KAAN fighter jets was discussed during the recent visit of the Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, Prince Turki bin Bandar Al Saud, to Turkey.
Recently, Defence Security Asia reported that Saudi Arabia had secretly spent $2.3 billion (RM10.1 billion) to acquire 39 units of Russia’s Pantsir-S1M air defense systems.
The procurement, revealed by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) citing internal reports from Russia’s Ruselectronics (a subsidiary of defense conglomerate ROSTEC), also included 10 mobile command posts, hundreds of missiles, transport vehicles, and communication systems.
In late December last year, it was reported that Saudi Arabia planned to purchase approximately 100 units of the KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet currently under development by Türkiye.
Discussions regarding the acquisition reportedly took place during a visit to Türkiye by the Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, Prince Turki bin Bandar Al Saud.
During his visit, Prince Turki held discussions with Turkish defense companies, including Roketsan, Aselsan, and the KAAN’s manufacturer, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
“The visit provided Prince Turki and his Saudi delegation with the latest updates on the capabilities of the KAAN fighter jet, as well as proposed strategic cooperation between the two nations regarding the fifth-generation aircraft,” according to international defense media reports.
“KAAN”
The cooperation may involve technology transfer and local production of the KAAN within Saudi Arabia.
The proposed acquisition aligns with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye’s ambitions to deepen defense ties between the two regional powers.
On July 18 last year, Saudi Arabia announced plans to spend $3 billion (RM13.5 billion) to procure Akinci MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones from Türkiye’s Baykar Technology, marking the largest defense contract in Türkiye’s history.
The Turkish Air Force is expected to receive over 100 KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets once mass production by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) commences.
TAI, the primary contractor for the KAAN program, began the project in 2016 and is expected to deliver 20 KAAN Block 10 fighters to the Turkish Air Force by 2028.
By 2029, TAI plans to produce two KAAN fighters per month, generating an annual revenue of approximately $2.4 billion (RM9.6 billion).
The KAAN jets will replace over 200 F-16 fighters currently in service with the Turkish Air Force.