{"id":2523796,"date":"2026-06-23T15:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/turkey-f35-class-engine-kaan-tf35000\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T22:42:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:42:07","slug":"turkey-f35-class-engine-kaan-tf35000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/turkey-f35-class-engine-kaan-tf35000\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey Says It&rsquo;s Building an F-35-Class Jet Engine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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The short version: Turkey's indigenous-engine ambitions for its KAAN stealth fighter are real, well-funded and moving faster than most outsiders expected. The \"F-35-level\" headline number that made the rounds around 21 June 2026? That one needs an asterisk.<\/p>\r\n<p>Let's separate the metal from the marketing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f4f6f9; border-radius: 8px; padding: 18px 22px; margin: 22px 0;\">\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px; color: #222;\">Quick Facts<\/p>\r\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15px; width: 100%;\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Aircraft<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">TAI KAAN (TF Kaan), 5th-gen twin-engine stealth fighter<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Indigenous engine<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">TEI-TF35000 (TUSAS Engine Industries, with TRMOTOR)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">TF35000 thrust target<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">~35,000 lbf (F110-plus \/ F119 class)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Interim engine<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">2\u00d7 General Electric F110-GE-129<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">First flight<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">21 February 2024<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 14px 6px 0; font-weight: 600; color: #333; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;\">Engine timeline<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"padding: 6px 0; color: #444;\">First tests targeted 2026; KAAN integration ~2032<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">The jet: KAAN, Turkey's <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-16-fighting-falcon\">F-16<\/a> replacement<\/h2>\r\n<p>The TAI KAAN (formerly \"TF-X\") is Turkey's twin-engine, fifth-generation stealth fighter, built to replace the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/turkish-air-force\/\">Turkish Air Force<\/a>'s large F-16 fleet after Ankara was ejected from the F-35 programme in 2019 over its purchase of Russian S-400s. It made its maiden flight on 21 February 2024 \u2014 a 13-minute hop from M\u00fcrted airfield near Ankara. Serial-production jets are now contracted, with first deliveries targeted around 2028-2029.<\/p>\r\n<p>Here's the catch every pilot already spotted: those early KAANs don't fly on a Turkish engine. They fly on two General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofans \u2014 the same proven engine family that powers late-model F-16s. Turkey has taken delivery of an initial batch of F110s and is negotiating with Washington for more. Which is exactly why the indigenous-engine project matters so much: a fighter that depends on US engines also depends on US export approval.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin: 0 0 24px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" style=\"display: block; width: 100%!important; max-width: 100%!important; height: auto!important; border-radius: 6px;\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/kaan-tfx-mockup-le-bourget-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"KAAN TF-X mockup at Le Bourget 2019\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" \/>\r\n<figcaption style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #777; text-align: center; margin-top: 6px; font-style: italic;\">A full-scale KAAN (then \u201cTF-X\u201d) mockup at Le Bourget 2019. The airframe was sized around a 35,000-lbf-class engine. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 24px 0;\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0; border-radius: 8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0ow0dkKd4TY\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-no-lazy=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #777; text-align: center; font-style: italic; margin-top: -8px;\">KAAN\u2019s maiden flight, 21 February 2024 \u2014 the hop that started the clock on the engine question.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">The real engine: TEI-TF35000<\/h2>\r\n<p>The credible, on-the-record programme is the TEI-TF35000, developed by TUSAS Engine Industries (TEI) together with TRMOTOR under Turkey's defence-industry secretariat. It's targeting roughly 35,000 lbf of thrust \u2014 which puts it above the F110 (around 29,000 lbf with afterburner) and squarely in the company of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-22-raptor\">F-22<\/a>'s Pratt &amp; Whitney F119. That's a serious, top-tier military turbofan figure, and TEI has been refreshingly specific about it.<\/p>\r\n<p>The programme reached Critical Design Review in early 2026, with first engine tests targeted for 2026 and integration into KAAN penciled in for around 2032. TEI also says the TF35000 is being designed for supercruise \u2014 sustained supersonic flight without afterburner \u2014 a genuine fifth-generation hallmark.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f8f9fa; border-left: 4px solid #5C91FF; padding: 20px 22px; margin: 18px 0 24px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7;\"><em>\u201cThe current KAAN design was made to suit an engine in the 35,000-pound-thrust class. To accommodate a 42,000-pound engine, it would have to be redesigned from scratch.\u201d<\/em>\r\n<div style=\"margin-top: 10px; font-size: 14px; color: #555;\"><strong>Arda Mevl\u00fcto\u011flu<\/strong> \u2014 Defence analyst, quoted by Cumhuriyet<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">So where does \"F-35-level\" come from?<\/h2>\r\n<p>This is where the June 2026 reporting gets spicy. At the SAHA 2026 defence fair in Istanbul, Turkey's Ministry of National Defence R&amp;D centre unveiled a second, separate powerplant \u2014 the G\u00dc\u00c7HAN turbofan \u2014 and quoted a thrust figure of 42,000 lbf. That's the number that lit up the headlines, because it sits right alongside the F-35's single Pratt &amp; Whitney F135 (roughly 43,000 lbf in afterburner).<\/p>\r\n<p>Impressive on a slide. The problem, as analysts were quick to point out, is that KAAN is a twin-engine jet whose airframe was sized around two ~35,000-lbf engines. Bolting in a pair of 42,000-lbf monsters isn't an upgrade \u2014 it's a different aircraft.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 22px;\">Reality check: is the timeline credible?<\/h2>\r\n<p>Building a frontline fighter engine from scratch is arguably the single hardest thing in aerospace. Only a handful of countries \u2014 the US, UK, France, Russia and China \u2014 can do it end-to-end. China took roughly 15 to 20 years to go from first test to mature frontline service. India has been chasing its Kaveri engine since the 1980s.<\/p>\r\n<p>Turkey's plan \u2014 first run in 2026, KAAN integration by 2032, fully domestic-engined jets by the mid-2030s \u2014 is ambitious to the point of audacious for an engine that, at the time of writing, hasn't run yet. That said, Turkey has earned some benefit of the doubt: it has gone from a standing start to a world-leading combat-drone industry, a flying fifth-gen prototype, the H\u00fcrjet trainer and a growing family of indigenous powerplants in under two decades.<\/p>\r\n<p>The honest read for anyone who knows engines: the TF35000 is a credible, top-class target and the most consequential part of the whole story. The \"F-35-class\" framing is technically true on paper and largely beside the point in practice. Watch for that first 2026 test run. That's when Turkey's engine talk has to start turning into measured thrust on a test stand.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #888; font-style: italic; margin-top: 18px;\">Sources: Aerospace Global News (21 June 2026); Aviation Week; Army Recognition; T\u00fcrkiye Today; Breaking Defense; TEI.<\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\r\n<!-- mf-faq -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45;user-select:none}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;font-weight:400;color:#5C91FF;line-height:1}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-item[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f8}.mf-faq-item summary:hover{background:#f5f8ff}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}.mf-faq-answer a{color:#5C91FF}<\/style>\r\n<h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2>\r\n<details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What is the TAI KAAN?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>The TAI KAAN (formerly TF-X) is Turkey's twin-engine, fifth-generation <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-22-raptor-finnish-f-35-training-ebbing-2026\/\">stealth fighter<\/a>, developed to replace the Turkish Air Force's large fleet of F-16s. It made its maiden flight on 21 February 2024 from M\u00fcrted airfield near Ankara, with serial-production jets contracted and first deliveries targeted around 2028-2029.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>Why was Turkey removed from the F-35 program?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Turkey was ejected from the U.S.-led F-35 programme in 2019 after buying the Russian S-400 air-defence system, which Washington argued could compromise the stealth fighter's secrets. Losing access to the F-35 is a major reason Turkey pressed ahead with its own KAAN fighter.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What engine does the KAAN fighter use?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>Early KAANs fly on two General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofans, the same proven family used by late-model F-16s. Turkey is developing an indigenous engine, the TEI-TF35000, targeting around 35,000 lbf of thrust, but it is not expected to be integrated into the KAAN until roughly 2032.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>When did the KAAN first fly?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>The KAAN made its first flight on 21 February 2024, a short 13-minute hop from M\u00fcrted airfield near Ankara. It joined a small group of nations building home-grown fifth-generation fighters, a competitive field that also includes Europe's <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/europe-fcas-ngf-fighter-cancelled-dassault-airbus\/\">next-generation fighter projects<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\">\r\n<summary>What is a fifth-generation fighter?<\/summary>\r\n<div class=\"mf-faq-answer\">\r\n<p>A fifth-generation fighter combines stealth (a low radar signature), advanced sensors and data fusion, and strong supersonic performance. Examples include the F-35, F-22 and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/j-20-mighty-dragon\">J-20<\/a>, and Turkey's KAAN is designed to join this class with its own stealthy airframe and modern avionics.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/details><\/div>\r\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the TAI KAAN?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The TAI KAAN (formerly TF-X) is Turkey's twin-engine, fifth-generation <a href=\\\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-22-raptor-finnish-f-35-training-ebbing-2026\/\\\">stealth fighter<\/a>, developed to replace the Turkish Air Force's large fleet of F-16s. 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Examples include the F-35, F-22 and J-20, and Turkey's KAAN is designed to join this class with its own stealthy airframe and modern avionics.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background: #f0f4ff; border-left: 4px solid #5C91FF; padding: 16px 20px; margin: 32px 0 8px; border-radius: 0 8px 8px 0;\">\r\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 8px; font-weight: 600; color: #333;\">Related Posts<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin: 4px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/india-tejas-mk1a-30-fighters-grounded-ge-f404-engines-2026\/\">India Built 30 New Fighters It Cannot Fly<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turkey says it&rsquo;s building a homegrown fighter engine in the F-35&rsquo;s thrust class for its KAAN stealth fighter. What&rsquo;s real and what&rsquo;s hype.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":2523069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2523796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Turkey&#039;s KAAN Engine: F-35-Class, With an Asterisk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Turkey claims its KAAN engine will match the F-35&#039;s thrust class \u2014 the programme is real and fast-moving, but the headline number needs care.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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