Türkiye's TF-X combat aircraft ready for “domestic missiles” PHOTO/VIDEO

The countdown continues for the national combat aircraft, Türkiye's biggest defence industry project seen so far.

The TFX is going through an intensive process of using all domestic/national missiles, with the product director also saying that the Turkish UAV and TF-X can perform joint missions, according to TRT Haber.

“We chatted with Benan Aylangan, TFX product director at TAI's Kahramankazan facilities and sought answers to the most frequently asked questions about MMU. While we got clear answers to some of our questions, we were not able to find out the answers to some of our questions as the confidentiality decision was ongoing on some critical issues,” he said.

“Talking about the platform, the first two questions that come to mind for almost everyone are engines and ammunition. We know that the MMU already has a US-made engine and the test processes will be completed with that engine.”

Aylangan explained that the MMU will have a domestic engine in the coming periods and that work is ongoing on this process: “Low visibility is one of the most important issues for combat aircraft... I wonder how the domestic engine will be tested in this process.”

He stressed that the domestic engine will have a very low heat output: The number of TF-X prototypes to be tested will be six to eight prototypes. In this way, ground and air tests can be done much faster.”

One of the most important combat challenges in recent years has undoubtedly been electronic warfare and jamming. Aylangan says the Turkish Air Force is at a very high level in this respect, and its requirements are shaped accordingly.

As requested by the project, both TUSAŞ and ASELSAN and other relevant agencies, especially TÜBİTAK, are taking steps. Aylangan stresses that the national combat aircraft will be a very good test in the field of electronic warfare and jamming.

Aylangan provides a detailed answer to the question of "what kind of missiles can be fired by national combat aircraft", which is another topic of interest to us: Integrating domestic ammunition is one of the most important elements of the TF-X project. We are researching the integration of all munitions developed by TÜBİTAK-SAGE, ROKETSAN and ASELSAN in both internal MMU weapon slots and external under-wing stations.

“At the same time, we work with both TAI employees and experts from the stakeholders I mentioned earlier. When the MMU enters service, it will be able to use all the necessary domestic ammunition. Internal MMU weapon slots were designed to integrate domestic ammunition. In addition, both work on the aircraft and design studies and modification work in ammunition development companies are continuing at the same time."

Aylangan emphasized that the National Combat Aircraft is a so-called "new generation" aircraft, and shares information that these types of aircraft have very serious sensors for performing tasks.

“In its form, the MMU becomes a giant platform on which thousands of data from many sensors are collected. Of course, when you show them all to the pilot, a very complex system arises," Aylangan says.

“The event, which we call sensor fusion or data fusion, in its most general form consists in filtering the data that you receive from different sources according to a certain algorithm and providing the pilot with the data that he needs to see. In fact, this issue of thermonuclear fusion occupies a very important place in the MMU mission systems. Our work on it continues. At the moment we are in a very good situation," he concluded.

Adı önümüzdeki günlerde belli olacak.

Türkiye’nin en büyük savunma sanayii projesi olan Milli Muharip Uçak’tan yerli/milli füzeler de atılabilecek...

MMU Ürün Direktörü Benan Aylangan, TRT Haber’in sorularını milli savaş uçağımızın yanında yanıtladı.https://t.co/qLZhUDlEie pic.twitter.com/vHRk7oy35L

— TRT HABER (@trthaber) April 10, 2023