Türkiye's 5th-gen stealth fighter KAAN to offer unique features

Türkiye's first homegrown fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, which made its historic first test flight last week, will have unique features once launched.

The country's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBITAK) is developing the aircraft with a special focus on technologies for invisibility, life support and explosion preventive systems, according to information received by Anadolu Agency (AA) on February 26, Daily Sabah reports.

The aircraft offers superior air dominance, increased air-to-air combat range with new weapons and precise strikes at supersonic speeds with its high-performance avionics system. New software and hardware will be added to the aircraft.

Technologies developed by TÜBITAK, including the central management computer, avionic interface units, deterministic network, multi-core real-time operating system and middleware software, were used in the first flight of KAAN.

KAAN is the ninth domestically manufactured aircraft Türkiye launched in the last decade, which, with its recently conducted 13-minute flight, marked yet another milestone on the self-sufficiency drive of the Turkish defence industry, which saw it not only being a major developer but also a significant exporter in recent years. The latest development makes Türkiye one of the few countries to own this technology.

The project, launched in 2016, aims to replace the Turkish army's ageing fleet, while Türkiye aims to use domestically produced engines on KAAN in serial production, which is expected to start in 2028.

The computer system, the brain of KAAN, was also developed by TÜBITAK.

TÜBITAK's Defense Industry Research and Development Institute (SAGE) will conduct the integration process of the missile, weapon systems and kits, such as Som A, Som B1, Som B2, Hgk 82, Hgk 83, Hgk 84, Neb, Gökhan, Kgk 82, Kgk 83, Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan, into the country's homegrown jet.