TAI plans first flight of Kaan fighter jet by the end of the year — Anadolu Agency

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) plans to conduct the first flight of the Kaan P1 fifth-generation fighter prototype by the end of 2026. All system checks of the first prototype have been completed, and the flight is expected to take place within a few weeks, Anadolu Agency reports, citing TAI CEO Mehmet Demiroglu.

Prototype testing

According to Demiroglu, TAI continues the assembly and testing of the second Kaan P2 prototype. Slow taxi tests have already been conducted for it.

After the P1 flight, the company plans to fly P2 as well, provided there are no delays or other obstacles. The TAI chief made the statement on the Kaan program during the TEKNOFEST Southeast aerospace and technology event in Türkiye.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Production and other projects

Demiroglu also stated that the company is restructuring its production model to transfer up to 70% of the manufacturing of parts and assemblies to subcontractors. Production of structural elements such as wings, tail sections and fuselages is planned to be distributed among seven or eight Turkish partners. According to him, this should help meet delivery deadlines and contain production costs.

The TAI chief also reported on an agreement concluded with Azerbaijan the previous month for the supply of 14 Hurkus-II turboprop training aircraft. The company plans to deliver the first production Hurjet aircraft to the Turkish Air Force at the end of 2027, while export deliveries to Spain are planned for the end of 2028.

Separately, TAI is conducting flight qualification tests of two specialized Air SOJ project platforms for airborne electronic warfare. The company expects to deliver the first two operational platforms in 2027 in coordination with Aselsan and Türkiye's Presidency of Defence Industries.